‘Take Back Your Pass’: Mass Protests Erupt Against COVID-19 Vaccine Passports in France

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France over the weekend to demonstrate against the government’s COVID-19 vaccine passport mandate that prevents unvaccinated individuals from entering restaurants and bars, as well as taking long-distance trips.

France’s Interior Ministry told Reuters that 215,000 people are estimated to have protested, which is down slightly from the 237,000 people who demonstrated the previous week.

Protesters often chanted “freedom,” “pass equals apartheid,” and “take back your pass,” referring to the vaccine passport. Some French citizens told media outlets that they joined the demonstrations because the COVID-19 passports limit their freedoms and are a way to segregate society for political purposes, rather than health reasons.

Crowds were seen marching in Paris, Nice, Marseille, and other French cities.

The French Parliament approved the COVID-19 health pass law in late July, requiring citizens to show the pass in public areas, proving they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for the virus. The country’s top court upheld the law earlier this month, as well as a law mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all health workers.

And while some media outlets claimed the protests were part of the “anti-vax” movement, many French demonstrators have said they support the vaccines but not the restrictions. – READ MORE