Huge crowds turned out in Paris on Saturday as riot police attempted to corral the seemingly endless columns of protesters filling the capital's main thoroughfares. Drumming, chanting and exploding firecrackers could be heard in a Ruptly livestream of the massive demonstration.
Social media filled up with footage allegedly taken in the small city of Pau, located in southwestern France. Despite the city's modest size, its streets were swarmed by demonstrators who turned out to express their disapproval with President Emmanuel Macron's so-called "Green Pass."
Other large turnouts were reported in cities and towns across the country, including in France's overseas territories.
Starting from August 9, French citizens will need a government-issued digital health pass in order to go inside a cafe or use certain forms of public transport. Individuals will need the ID to show that they are fully vaccinated, have tested negative for Covid-19, or have recovered from the virus. The controversial legislation also makes vaccination compulsory for healthcare workers.
The 'options' are such that it is simply not viable for an ordinary person to choose any other option but to suffer the injection. Evidently this was the intention. This is made even more clear by mandating the vaccine for healthcare workers, when a one off anti-body test would suffice, and would demonstrate a life-long immunity. However, this is a clear tactic of the totalitarian tiptoe, it's begins with one group where the justification appears more reasonable, soon after the net is widened until everyone is coerced into compliance.
Since July 21, the Covid pass has been obligatory in order to visit museums, cinemas and other cultural venues with a capacity of more than 50 individuals.
Following large-scale protests earlier this month, the French government made several concessions to the draconian rules, including lowering fines for violating the ID regime and pushing back when the policy would come into force at shopping malls.
Worthless concessions.
Last week, Macron seemed to dismiss those who opposed the coercive measures as irresponsible and selfish, arguing that refusing to be vaccinated with the experimental jab would end up killing people.
Frenchman to be tried for erecting dummy guillotines with names of politicians who support Macron's health pass
A 50-year-old man from the southwestern Landes region will be tried in October for making "death threats against public officials," a local prosecutor's office said.
When it comes to a draconian state, nuance ceases to exist, and making an example of dissidents is top priority.
The suspect, who was identified through CCTV footage and detained on Thursday, set up dummy guillotines in the towns of Saint-Sever, Samadet, and Geaune last week. Sheets of paper with the names of 382 mayors were attached to the devices.
The listed officials had all put their names to a recent opinion piece in the Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, in which they had "saluted the courage" of the decisions made by President Emmanuel Macron, including the introduction of a health pass.
The suspect was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying the guillotines were made of wood and cardboard, and not intended to be perceived as a death threat. He said he wanted to "alert the mayors to the violations of fundamental freedoms by the government's decisions" during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, Pascale Requenna, the mayor of Hagetmau and a regional councilor, told the media she had been frightened by the installations and, along with Samadet Mayor Bernard Tastet, had filed a police complaint.
"The symbol of the guillotine is unbelievably violent," Requenna said. "We have the right to fight with words and ideas, but to use symbols like the guillotine to challenge the positions of elected officials - I find it distressing, violent, and extremely serious."
A symbol of terror during the French Revolution, the guillotine was last used to execute a criminal in France in 1977. A dummy version of the lethal device has since been spotted during anti-government protests, such as those organized by the Yellow Vest movement.
France has strict laws against threats to public officials. In 2019, a protester was detained for merely shouting the word "guillotine" at a politician from Macron's party, the Republic on the Move (LaREM).
Comment: This is yet another example of Big Tech trying desperately to control reality. No news outlet is safe. See also: