French Anti-Vax Anger By Richard Miller (London)
This is not going to help the anti-vax cause, but it does show the level of anger building up in France, as vaccination centres get destroyed. One naturally wonders where this will go next, since the potential here for violence is surely much greater than the yellow vest protests. There is certainly French unrest, with nearly 114,000 people demonstrating in France recently against vaccination and the health pass, which will be required in many places from August 2021. In many respects, French president macron is creating a medical apartheid society:
"French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that those who don’t have a ‘COVID pass’ will be banned from participating in basic life activities such as visiting shopping malls, restaurants and using public transport.
In a public address to the nation, Macron made clear that only those who have taken the vaccine, can prove recent recovery from COVID or a negative test result will be allowed to enter the venues, in addition to hospitals, bars, cafés and tourist attractions.
In an effort to force more people to take the vaccine, COVID PCR tests for the purposes of the health passport will have to be paid for, having previously been free.
This will make it financially unsustainable for most people to continually have to take negative COVID tests to go about daily life activities, forcing them to take the vaccine.
Vaccination will also become mandatory for health workers and anyone who works with the elderly or the vulnerable, while Macron also stated, “Depending on the evolution of the situation, we will without doubt have to consider obligatory vaccines for everyone in France.”
All these measures are being introduced despite the fact that current infection levels are relatively low and deaths have slowed to a trickle.
Expect the measures being introduced in France to be gradually replicated throughout Europe as the unvaccinated become second class citizens unable to perform basic life functions.
After Macron first announced measures to prevent the unvaccinated from using public transport late last year, the plan was derailed after fierce protests.
One wonders whether unrest will flare up once again and if it could lead to a revival of the Yellow Vest movement.”
“Two Covid-19 vaccination centers were ransacked in less than 48 hours in France, over the weekend of July 16 to 18. In the department of Isère, a vaccination center was vandalized in Lans-en-Vercors during the night from Friday to Saturday, we learned from the mayor of this town, confirming information from the regional daily The Dauphiné freed .
"The municipal building in which the vaccination center was installed is completely out of order, all fire-fighting systems have been opened" , explains the mayor of the city, Michaël Kraemer. Furniture, syringes and compresses were also ransacked.
“1940”, “ARN = danger”, “Vaccine = genocide”: anti-vaccine inscriptions and crosses of Lorraine were also tagged on the building and the tourist office. "We make dubious and despicable shortcuts, it is a lack of culture and total respect for the history of Vercors" , high place of the maquis during the Second World War, denounces Mr. Kraemer.
"Instrumentalisation of certain major national policies"
Municipal equipment stored in garages under the building has also been damaged, while the structure and floors of the building are soaked with water. "We also pay the price of the instrumentalization of certain major national policies which to exist today use mistrust vis-à-vis vaccination" , accuses the mayor, establishing a link with various anti-pass committees local sanitary facilities.
The town hall of this small town of some 2,600 inhabitants was to host a vaccination center again this weekend, following the renewed interest in serum linked to the expansion of the health pass. The vaccination center has been moved to the Lans-en-Vercors health center, explains Le Dauphiné libéré . An investigation was entrusted to the Villard-de-Lans gendarmerie, which went to the site.
In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the marquee hosting the Covid-19 vaccination center in the town of Urrugne was the subject of an arson overnight from Saturday to Sunday, the Bayonne prosecutor announced on Sunday, who opened an investigation. On his Twitter account , the public prosecutor Jérôme Bourrier explained that he had "seized the Bayonne judicial police service with an investigation of flagrance for willful destruction by fire" .
For the mayor of Urrugne, Philippe Aramendi, the voluntary nature of the fire is beyond doubt . “I was called at 3 am and it was found that flammable product had been spilled around the marquee. Fortunately, the firefighters quickly contained the flames and the marquee was only partially destroyed, ” he explained.
Of "spite and especially anger"
The mayor of the Basque town said he was "filled with a feeling of spite and especially anger" . "It may be too early to know if we are dealing with anti-vaccine, but if so, it is saddening ," he added. Vaccination is not unanimous but from there to arriving at this kind of facts, it is unacceptable! "
According to the municipal councilor Danièle Bideondo-Baron, interviewed by Sud Ouest , the town hopes to resume the normal course of the vaccination campaign from Wednesday. "Everyone has the right to have their opinion on vaccination but this regrettable act harms all Urrugnards" , explained the social action assistant.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, went to the Basque Country, Bayonne and Anglet, in particular to visit a vaccination center and discuss with the prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques the implementation of the health pass in this department where the incidence rate is above the alert threshold, but where 51% of the population has complete vaccination coverage.
These two acts of vandalism occur as nearly 114,000 people demonstrated in France on Saturday , according to the interior ministry, against vaccination and the health pass, which will be required in many places from August . They also take place in a context of a sudden rebound in the epidemic, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant: the incidence rate (number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants) has "increased by 80% over a week, never seen before. since the start of the crisis, ” said government spokesman Gabriel Attal in an interview published by Le Parisien ."
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