‘Freedom Convoy’: Protesters opposed to French COVID restrictions head to Paris
protesters from all over France plan to descend on Paris in a Canadian inspired “Freedom Convoy” on Friday to voice opposition to the country’s COVID-19 vaccine and public health policies.
The organizers say their aim is to peacefully oppose attacks on their “freedom” and “fundamental rights”.
But authorities say the movement’s aim is to “block the capital” and have banned a planned demonstration in Paris.
The trucker protests that inspired the French movement have paralyzed Ottawa, Canada’s capital, and forced the authorities to declare a state of emergency. By Friday morning, more than 350,000 users had joined a Facebook group connected to the movement.
On Wednesday, several convoys left from Nice, Bayonne and Perpignan in the south, aiming to reach the capital on Friday evening. Calls have been made to join Brussels for a “European convergence” scheduled for Monday.
About 200 people gathered in a parking lot in Nice with French and Canadian posters and flags, Reuters reported. Not everyone leaving Nice was planning to go to Paris or Brussels. The convoy consisted of motorcycles and passenger cars, but no trucks.
“Our job is to make Europe understand that putting in place a health pass until 2023 is something that the majority of our fellow citizens cannot understand,” a man named Denis told Reuters.
Friday morning, the drivers had already left Lille, in the north of the country, for Paris, 225 kilometers away.
Large crowds in the eastern French city of Strasbourg also gathered on Friday morning to prepare for the trip.
Another convoy left Lyon, in central France, on Friday morning. Photos showed a small group gathered on a cloudy morning, waving French flags and preparing for the trip in a parking lot.