French Police Pepper Spray Protesters Against Sanitary Passes During Clashes In Paris

Muhammad Irfan Published August 07, 2021 | 08:20 PM

French police used pepper spray against sanitary pass protesters in Paris on Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2021) French police used pepper spray against sanitary pass protesters in Paris on Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

On Saturday, Paris saw several rallies against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for the medical staff and sanitary passes. One of the rallies began at the Pont de Neuilly subway station after 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), and the protesters planned to finish their procession at the Place du Chatelet. The yellow vests movement members were reported to have joined the protest.

The demonstration was largely peaceful, but in the 17th arrondissement clashes between the police and the opponents of anti-COVID-19 measures flared up.

The police pepper sprayed the crowd, and after that the demonstrators followed their route.

The Constitutional Council of France approved the expanded usage of sanitary passes for cafes, restaurants, shopping centers, starting August 9.

Last weekend, over 200,000 people protested against the passes country-wide, and 14,250 in Paris, according to the Internal Ministry of France.

Since July 21, the sanitary passes have been effective in museums, theaters, movies, festivals, amusement parks, and at all the events involving over 50 people. The sanitary passes indicate if the bearer has been COVID-19 vaccinated, or has antibodies, or possesses a negative coronavirus test result.