'Down with dictatorship': Anger at France's sweeping new Covid rules

The stage is being set for a showdown between French President Emmanuel Macron and an increasingly vocal number of dissidents who say dictatorial new coronavirus measures soon to take effect will erode individual freedoms and discriminate against those who choose not to get vaccinated.

Protesters took to the streets in Paris to voice their anger over government proposals to make anti-Covid 19 vaccinations compulsory. REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES

An estimated 20,000 people turned out in cities across the country on Bastille Day to denounce a proposed law that will force healthcare workers to get vaccinated – or lose their jobs – and make Covid-19 “health passes” a requirement in many public places.

From 21 July, only those who are vaccinated or have a recent negative PCR test will be allowed to access large venues such as theatres, cinemas and amusement parks. 

From August, those same rules will be rolled out in cafes, restaurants, trains, planes and buses.

Also included in the law, which will be examined by parliament on 21 July, is a 10-day legally imposed quarantine period for anyone who tests positive for Covid. 

NOW - People chanting "Liberté" in Paris as they protest against mandatory vaccinations of health care workers and vaccination passports on Bastille Day (#14Juillet), a national holiday in France.pic.twitter.com/YrP4l0tXwy

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) July 14, 2021

Chanting “down with dictatorship” and “down with the health pass”, large crowds – many identifying as Yellow Vests – took part in hundreds of demonstrations on Wednesday.

Some rallies were declared, while others erupted organically on the sidelines of the Bastille Day festivities. Several were dispersed by police with tear gas. 

“The health pass is segregation,” Yann Fontaine, a 29-year-old at the Paris protest, told AFP. 

"Macron plays on fears, it's disgusting. I know people who are going to be vaccinated just to be able to take their children to the cinema – not to protect others from serious forms of Covid.”

Worker revolt

Since Macron announced the spate of new rules on Monday dissent has been brewing – notably from exasperated and furious healthcare workers posting their testimonies on social media.

In what could be the start of a grassroots movement, they argue they are being victimised despite having been on the front lines of the health crisis since the beginning. 

Some staff remain opposed to vaccination, despite knowing it will put them out of a job by September.

They warn that if enough health workers are united in refusing the jab, the health system itself will collapse. 

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“They say they’ll take away our salaries and have even threatened us with prison if we don’t get vaccinated,” one nurse – who quit her job – said in a video posted to social media that amassed more than half a million “likes”.

"Do you realise that if you take away the staff, the French health system will fall to pieces.

"You’ll have to look after yourselves, take care of your own catheters and do your own blood tests.

"And if your grandmother in a care home is scared about people not being vaccinated, you'll end up being the one taking care of her because there won’t be any more nurses or care workers to do it."

Low vaccination rate

Recent figures released by the Santé Publique France health agency showed that less than 50 percent of staff in public hospitals, clinics and nursing homes was fully vaccinated. 

That figure rose to almost 75 percent for private healthcare workers.

Despite fierce opposition to the incoming Covid-19 restrictions, however, an Elabe poll published on Tuesday found a large majority – 76 percent – of French people actually supported the compulsory vaccination of healthcare workers.