Again there were mass protests in France against tightening the corona rules.

It is already the third weekend in a row that many people are protesting against compulsory vaccination for health workers and an expansion of the corona proof requirement.

The authorities expected around 160,000 demonstrators across the country on Saturday afternoon, according to French media with reference to police circles.

So many people took to the streets last Saturday too.

France is currently fighting a fourth corona wave.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the new, stricter hygiene regulations in mid-July in view of the increasing number of infections.

Parliament approved the controversial innovations earlier this week after heated debates.

The last hurdle will have to be taken by the new law on Thursday, when the Constitutional Council, convened by Prime Minister Jean Castex, takes a position on the subject of severe criticism.

The obligation to vaccinate in the healthcare system and the expansion of the obligation to provide evidence of a negative corona test, recovery or vaccination not only affect vaccination opponents and corona deniers.

So people from different currents mixed at the demonstrations.

This heterogeneity and the size of the nationwide protests are also fueling fears in France of a new “yellow vests” movement or a resurgence of their protests. The "Gilets Jaunes" ("Yellow Vests") had started their demonstrations in 2018 as a regional movement against the increase in gasoline prices. Her subjects quickly expanded into a criticism of the reform policies of the center government and President Macron. The protests had repeatedly led to devastation and violence, including on the Parisian boulevard Champs-Élysées. A demonstration of the anti-corona protests on the street was accompanied by a significant police presence on Saturday.

Although 160,000 protesters in the middle of the holiday season in France are a respectable number, it remains to be seen whether the protests will continue.

The law with the new regulations is to come into force on August 9th, so proof of having visited bars, cafés, restaurants and trips by long-distance train will be valid in just over a week.

France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also said that the numbers should be put into perspective.

"If I draw a parallel to the four million people who were vaccinated as a result of the president's speech, one finds that the demonstrators are not the majority," the newspaper "Le Parisien" quoted him as saying.

Millions of French are vaccinated

In fact, both vaccination registrations and the number of doses injected daily had skyrocketed after Macron's announcements.

Around 62 percent of people in France are now vaccinated against the coronavirus at least once.

More than half of the residents are fully vaccinated.

Nevertheless, the health situation remains tense.

Most recently, the number of new infections per 100,000 people nationwide was around 214 within a week. In some areas, for example on the border with Spain or in northern Corsica, even stricter rules now apply.

In some cases, shops and restaurants have to close earlier and people also have to wear masks outdoors.