A convoy of demonstrators protesting COVID-19 restrictions has converged on Paris from nearby cities despite police warnings against entering the capital.
The protesters, inspired by the “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations in Canada, jammed traffic near the Arc de Triomphe and on the Champs-Élysées Saturday, according to Reuters.
Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators and, by Saturday afternoon, had arrested 14 people and handed out 337 fines to those involved in the protests.
More than 7,000 law enforcement officers were mobilized as police set up checkpoints in response to the protests.
Protesters decried France’s COVID-19 restrictions among other grievances including the rise in inflation.
France requires proof of vaccination for people entering public places such as restaurants and museums.
A group of truckers began protesting Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions in late January. Beginning in Ottowa, the demonstration has spread throughout the country, and convoys have blocked key chokepoints on Canada’s border with the United States.
Canadian police began enforcing a recent order to end the 5-day-old blockade of the Ambassador Bridge on the U.S.-Canada border on Saturday.
Close to 100 protesters remained on the bridge early Saturday, according to CBC News, despite a court order and emergency declaration announced Friday demanding that they leave.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
Health, The New York Today
