Armored personnel carriers were on the streets of Paris Friday to prepare for the French version of the Freedom Convoy.
French police have warned against participation in a Paris protest, saying that protesters could face two years in prison a big fine, and might be banned from driving, according to the Daily Mail.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said one should not “associate these virulent attacks against vaccination with the word freedom.”
“If they block Paris or if they try to block the capital, we will have to be very firm,” Castex said, according to The New York Times.
PARIS – Des blindés de la gendarmerie sont positionnés dans la capitale. Ils pourront être utilisé pour pousser des voitures à l’arrêt. #convoisdelaliberte @CLPRESSFR pic.twitter.com/TNKByuBDOX
— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) February 11, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke against the protest, saying the nation needed “unity” and “a collective goodwill.”
Protesters said the Freedom Convoy that crossed Canada inspired them to emulate it.
“We’ve been going around in circles for three years. We saw the Canadians and said to ourselves: ‘It’s awesome, what they’re doing.’ In eight days, boom, something was sparked,” protester Jean-Marie Azais said, according to The Guardian.
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