Chaos in France: Macron on the brink as police grapple with Covid protests | World | New



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Protests against the Covid vaccine have erupted across France as Emmanuel Macron faces a public backlash against the French government’s handling of the pandemic. Police in Paris and Lyon clashed with angry protesters who gathered to protest Saturday to the country’s Covid health pass law which requires people to have a vaccination certificate to enter public spaces such as cafes, public transport or shops.

The demonstrators took to the streets of Lyon in large numbers, the police reportedly fired tear gas in an attempt to prevent the march from progressing.

Social media images show hundreds of protesters making their way through streets black with tear gas.

In the background, we can see objects thrown at the police lines.

Meanwhile, a separate clip appears to show French police officers attempting to confront a large crowd of protesters inside a Paris metro station.

Riot police can be seen facing protesters in the Châtelet metro station in the heart of Paris.

Shocked commuters can be seen walking up the escalators as French police charge to confront the protesters.

Protesters unfurled a banner in the train station and began to carry anti-vaccine slogans.

The clashes mark the eighth consecutive weekend of protests against the French Covid-19 health pass.

Last weekend, a total of 160,000 people took part in protests against the Covid vaccine across France according to the country’s interior ministry

On the evening of Saturday, the authorities had recorded 222 separate protest actions, according to France 24.

It comes as a New report released by European Council on Foreign Relations highlighted growing discontent with Macron’s Covid restrictions.

The report said: “In France, the pandemic has brought about striking changes in political philosophy in the main governing and opposition parties. It is ‘non-binary democracy’.

“The crisis has prompted liberal supporters of Emmanuel Macron’s centrist political platform to support highly interventionist state action, with 89% of those who expressed an opinion believing the restrictions to be either fair or not tough enough.

“Meanwhile, among current supporters of Marine Le Pen, whose party has often sought a more authoritarian state, almost a third (33%) of those who have expressed their opinion believe the restrictions were too strict and wish therefore that their party poses as a platform of freedom against the repressive power of the pandemic state. “



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