PARIS (Dispatches) -At least a quarter of a million people in France are expected to take to the streets over the weekend to protest controversial anti-Covid measures, local media have said, citing a police intelligence note sent to the government.
The number of French nationals openly disagreeing with the recent introduction of a so-called ‘health pass’ in the country has doubled since mid-July, with the movement showing no signs of running out of steam, police intelligence services have reportedly warned the government. In a note sent on Thursday, France’s central territorial intelligence said it estimates that at least 250,000 people will rally over the weekend, Franceinfo’s Radio France reports.
Nearly 200 protests have been already planned throughout the country for the weekend, with the anti-health pass movement said to be especially active in the south of France, the intelligence note reportedly warned, calling for further mobilization of law enforcement. While the protests are expected to be peaceful, some “ultras both from the left and right” might join in, authorities said, with “professional agitators” trying to infiltrate and possibly stage provocations.
This week, the country will see its fifth weekend of mass protests condemning the government’s toughening of anti-coronavirus restrictions on the unvaccinated.