Germany has been spared pictures like in France in the past few days.

In the neighboring country, more than 200,000 people, some of them violent, demonstrated against President Macron's corona policy from Paris to Toulon for the third weekend in a row.

There is already talk of a resurgence of the “yellow vests” protests, fueled by anger at the mandatory vaccination imposed in the health system and the health passport issued by the government and approved by parliament.

In view of the high number of infections, the French can only go to restaurants or cinemas with this “pass sanitaire”, which records the vaccination status and negative test results. This “preference” for vaccinated people drives the vaccination and Macron opponents from right to left into the streets by the tens of thousands. On the other hand, under Macron's passport decree, more than four million citizens got a vaccination appointment. A clear majority is behind his corona strategy, which is based on pressure instead of voluntariness.

In Germany, where a mandatory vaccination has been declared taboo by leading politicians, but could still come, protests have so far been limited. It doesn't have to stay that way, as the lateral thinkers elevators in Berlin show. It could get worse if, as in France, millions of people who have not been vaccinated out of conviction are confronted with disadvantages in social life. In this debate, Union Chancellor Laschet is counting on waiting; He (still) considers indirect pressure on people who are not vaccinated to be wrong.

But not only the Greens and the SPD see it differently, Laschet's savior in the fight for the candidacy for chancellor also contradicted: Unvaccinated people would have to accept restrictions, says Wolfgang Schäuble. Another member of Laschet's team is also showing more initiative than the candidate for chancellor. Health Minister Spahn disregards the concerns of the Standing Vaccination Commission and wants to offer 12 to 17 year old children and adolescents a vaccination offer. We have not yet heard from Laschet on this subject.