"Freedom", "Macron dictator" ... From north to south, the slogans were similar.
From Marseille to Lille and from Montpellier to Paris, tens of thousands of people demonstrated across France, Saturday July 17 afternoon, against the anti Covid-19 measures announced this week by Emmanuel Macron as compulsory vaccination for caregivers and the extension of the health pass.
"We have doubts about vaccines against Covid, it's not that we think the Earth is flat but we don't know the long-term effects of these hastily cobbled together vaccines that Macron wants us impose ", sums up Rita, a 39-year-old nurse, crossed in the procession in Montpellier where, according to the Prefecture, 5,500 people demonstrated.
On the Old Port of Marseille, they were around 4,250 according to the police headquarters, pointing to "sheep" who are vaccinated, "bad information" given according to them on television.
A protester holds a banner "Vax and anti-vax united against the pass. Rule of law" during a demonstration in Marseille on July 17, 2021, against the new health restrictions in France.
© Clément Mahoudeaui, AFP
In Nice, around 1,600 demonstrators, yellow vests, opponents of the health pass, the compulsory vaccine or vaccination in general, marched for several hours in the city center.
In the western half of the country, the mobilization seemed a little less.
In Bordeaux, the prefecture, which had issued a ban on demonstrating in the city center, counted 1,200 people;
the demonstrators blocking the circulation of trams and cars in certain places.
In Toulouse, the prefecture counted 2,500 demonstrators, just like in Metz where, here as elsewhere, we could read on the signs of the procession: "No to the Nazi pass", "false pandemic, true dictatorship" or "I am not a QR code ".
In Strasbourg, the demonstration brought together 2,800 people according to figures from the prefecture.
A few people wore a yellow star, noted an AFP journalist.
In Nancy, they were 1,200 at the height of the mobilization.
In Dijon, the police used tear gas and the circulation of trams was briefly interrupted by demonstrators chanting "Liberty! Liberty!".
The far right and the others divided in Paris
In the capital, several thousand people were divided in at least three rallies.
The first procession, where French flags flourished, set off from the Palais-Royal before crossing the Seine, headed by the former number 2 of the National Front Florian Philippot, the former LREM deputy covidosceptic Martine Wonner, the singer Francis Lalanne or the former muse "yellow vests" Jacline Mouraud.
Some leaflets diverting the yellow star with the mention "sanitary pass" were also visible.
The president of the "Les Patriotes" party, Florian Philippot, and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, president of "Debout la France" demonstrate against the new health restrictions in the Louvre district in Paris, July 17, 2021 © Bertrand Guay, AFP
Before the demonstration, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, president of "Debout la France", held a press conference in front of the Constitutional Council, denouncing an "unprecedented abuse of power" and a "health coup", after the announcements by Emmanuel Macron.
With the sanitary pass in everyday life, it is according to him the "beginning of a gear towards a dictatorship".
"We are not anti-vaccines at all"
At the same time, around 1,500 people demonstrated in the streets of the south of the capital, in a disparate procession, preceded by a police cordon.
Departing from the 14th arrondissement, the procession headed towards the Jussieu district, accompanied by banners such as "wanted French Democratic Republic, disappeared on July 12, 2021", "no to the sanitary pass, stop the dictatorship", and slogans " Freedom "," Macron dictator ".
"We are not anti-vaccines at all. We just want everyone to have the freedom to be vaccinated or not. PCR tests may be enough and then we must leave them free", launched Aurélie and Tiphaine, in their thirties, both employed in a shopping center in the Paris region.
>> To read: Compulsory vaccination, health pass, PCR tests: Emmanuel Macron puts the unvaccinated under pressure
"We are there for the demands of the yellow vests and the restrictions on freedoms. It is not one more freedom-killing law that makes us go out into the street. We have always been in the street," said the "yellow vest" Jérôme Rodrigues.
Finally, a few dozen people took part in another unauthorized gathering at Place de la République.
Demonstrations also took place in many other towns in France, such as Quimper (400 people), Perpignan (1,200), Clermond-Ferrand (1,700) or Valence (2,300) as well as other smaller groups. held in Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Roanne or Auxerre.
With AFP
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR