“The health pass will never be a right of access that discriminates among the French. It cannot be made compulsory for access to everyday places,” French President Emmanuel Macron pledged in April during an interview with the regional press. However, less than three months later and Macron has done an about-face.
Last week, in full totalitarian form, Macron mandated the “health pass” or (pass sanitaire) that will be mandatory in order to gain access to leisure and cultural venues with more than 50 people, including cinemas and museums. From the beginning of August, it will be necessary to show your health pass to have coffee or eat lunch at a restaurant – even on an outdoor terrace – or to shop at a mall.
In order to have a coffee in France, beginning next month, citizens will have to prove they’ve had the vaccine. According to the government’s draft bill, restaurants and businesses who refuse to comply will be fined up to €45,000 and proprietors face up to a year in prison.
This new push is the most restrictive COVID tyranny in all of Europe and certainly in the West. Naturally, it has inspired much-deserved outrage.
Beginning with Macron’s announcement last week, thousands began protesting in Paris. They have marched on government buildings and even taken to vandalizing vaccine centers. More than 100,000 protesters took to the streets across the country over the weekend with some donning the famous “gilets jaunes” or “yellow vests.”
The French know what to do.#GiletsJaunes are warming up, expect it to get fiery over the coming weeks, protests are planned.pic.twitter.com/rpRAdHvLGl
— Darren of Plymouth 🇬🇧 (@DarrenPlymouth) July 13, 2021
On Friday night, vandals used fire hoses to flood a clinic in Lans-en-Vercors, BBC News reports, and on Saturday, a site in Urrugne was partially destroyed in an arson attack. Some protesters also attempted to gain access to government buildings as well.
Read More: French Police Lay Down Shields Join 100,000 Protesters Marching Against Vaccine Passport
