"We will manage. But we will go, we are determined anyway, but without aggressiveness (...) We are together, it's magnificent!", commented under the horns and the French flags in the wind, Olivier a Breton participant when setting off from Brest at the wheel of his car.

Since Wednesday, these first French "freedom convoys", inspired by the protest born in Canada, have left by car, motorhome or carpooling from Nice, Bayonne or even Perpignan and were to continue to set off on Friday morning from towns closest to Paris.

The movement, initiated a week ago on social networks, presents itself as "the step after" anti-government street demonstrations, "yellow vests" and more recently opponents of the health pass, according to the organizers.

"If people want to demonstrate normally, they can do so. If they want to block traffic, we will intervene," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned Thursday evening on LCI.

"It's not the shit the French Republic", launched Mr. Darmanin.

Refuting any attempt at blocking, the participants hope to converge in the evening on Paris, spend the night there each as they can, then participate on Saturday in the various weekly processions against the vaccine pass organized in the capital.

7,500 euro fine

Some will then try to rally Brussels for a "European convergence" scheduled for Monday, February 14.

However, the Belgian authorities have decided to deny them access to the capital, since they did not request it.

In Paris, the Paris police headquarters also decreed a ban on this mobilization on Thursday for "risks of disturbing public order".

A "specific device", in particular composed of "task forces" and kidnapping machines must be put in place to "prevent the blocking of roads, verbalize and arrest offenders", who incur six months in prison and 7,500 euros fine", insisted the prefecture.

To counter the ban, the lawyer Juan Branco or the anti-vaccine activist Sophie Tissier announced Thursday that they had filed a summary freedom procedure before the Paris administrative court.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m.

In the meantime, the participants were refining their sneaking strategy on Thursday evening in the event of a police check.

Friday "answer that you are going to the Parc des Princes to see the PSG-Rennes match, Saturday "at the authorized demonstration of the Patriots" and Sunday "at the Pécresse meeting at the Zenith", wrote to his comrades on a self-help group one conveyors.

"Packed lunch"

In the spirit of conviviality and social ties that had marked the beginning of the movement of "yellow vests" around roundabouts in 2018, several convoys spent the night in rest stops or with individuals who had opened their accommodation or car park.

"These first departures give a lot of hope, it fills the heart and it is the objective of this movement, to set up an active chain of solidarity, from accommodation to packed lunches", commented to AFP , one of the initiators of the movement, under the pseudonym of Rémi Monde.

In the foreground of the demands of the participants: "the withdrawal (...) of the pass and of all measures of constraint or pressure linked to vaccination", in addition to measures on purchasing power or the cost of energy.

"We demonstrated, and we can continue but we see that it only leads to confrontation, repression and violence," the initiator told AFP, "we want to try something else, and see what will be the government's response to peaceful and joyful people".

Several presidential candidates have given their support to this movement, including Marine Le Pen, Eric Zemmour or the radical left party La France insoumise (LFI) which has "encouraged" its activists who wish to join this movement.

The leader of the Patriots Florian Philippot organizes for his part on Friday afternoon in Paris a gathering of logistical support for the "convoys of freedom", place Denfert-Rochereau.

© 2022 AFP