France anti-vax and anti-health pass protests take aim at Macron

Protests are uniting people on the far right and the far left, and appear to be gathering momentum, writes Chris Bockman from France

(Anadolu Agency/Getty)

It’s a battle of numbers. Last weekend 160,000 took to the streets across France against the Covid vaccination programme and looming restrictions on those without jabs. At the same time President Macron, 16,000km away in French Polynesia, sent a self-congratulatory tweet promoting his “tough-love” approach.

He said a new milestone had been reached with 40 million French citizens having received at least one Covid-19 vaccine, a month ahead of schedule. That represents around 60 per cent of the French population and the government has now set a target of 50 million people being vaccinated by the end of August.

However, the anti-vax movement in France is also growing rapidly. Yesterday more than 200,000 returned to the streets, taking part in 184 rallies across France, according to the French interior ministry, despite the unseasonably bad weather.