France extends use of health pass to cafes & restaurants despite weekend of mass protests

On Monday, after a fourth weekend of mass protests, the government proceeded with imposing the extension of the controversial health pass and restrictions on the unvaccinated, which are set to be in place until at least November.

Since July 21, the ‘pass sanitaire’ (health pass) has already been required in certain cultural institutions and venues, such as museums and cinemas. On Thursday, however, France’s Constitutional Council approved plans to extend its use. The court also ruled it constitutional to make the vaccine mandatory for health care workers and make the pass obligatory in bars and restaurants, as well as when taking flights or trains.

On Saturday, almost 250,000 French dissidents took to the streets to protest against the new measures, which they argue is an imposition on their personal freedom – a notion the country has supposedly championed since the 1789 revolution.

Videos have flooded social media showing protesters clashing with police, who fired tear gas to suppress the large crowds.

First tensions during the demonstration against the #PassSanitaire in #Paris.
The security forces use their gas in the face of demonstrators trying to force a cordon of the mobile gendarmerie.#GiletsJaunes #manifs7aout #manifestation7aout pic.twitter.com/yFVSCshL1x

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) August 7, 2021