French truckers prepare for anti-covid demonstration in Paris
Inspired by trucker protests in Canada, French anti-COVID drivers and anti-vaccine passport drivers are heading in their cars towards the French capital to stage a demonstration in Paris on Saturday.
Thousands of demonstrators were not stopped by the police ban on the "Freedom Escort" action. The atmosphere is good-natured, they talk about the “liberation of the country” from the yoke of Macron, they refuse the vaccine pass, and other “unbearable obstacles to freedom.”
Law enforcement agencies have warned that those who interfere with traffic face up to two years in prison and a fine of four and a half thousand euros. The 7,800 police stationed in Paris are likely to dampen the ardor of the demonstrators. Large lifting equipment (cranes, trucks, etc.) will clear the roads if necessary. But the confrontation between the forces of order and the demonstrators is not excluded.
“I'm going to perform in Paris not for myself, but for my children. We cannot tolerate all these restrictions, rising prices, poverty that spreads like wildfire while the rich get fat in a shameful way. We are tired of this two-tiered France. We want to live in a country where Liberty, Equality and Fraternity still make sense,” said one of the truckers.
Meanwhile, in Italy, where the epidemic situation has improved significantly, people are taking off their masks. As of Friday, the requirement to wear PPE outdoors has been lifted. Masks will be required indoors until at least March 31st.
Over the past day in Italy, more than 75 thousand people have received a positive test for coronavirus. However, the burden on hospitals has been significantly reduced. In the country, more than 91% of people over 12 years of age have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine. 88% were fully vaccinated against coronavirus.