Coronavirus: Anti-vaccination protesters tell France’s Emmanuel Macron: ‘We’ll p*** you off’

Macron said this week he wanted to irritate unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting vaccinated

In Germany and Austria tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in the latest protests against policies to contain the coronavirus pandemic

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Demonstrators, in opposition to the coronavirus vaccine pass and vaccinations, gather during a rally in Paris, France on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 12:48am, 9 Jan 2022Updated: 5:52am, 9 Jan 2022

Anti-vaccine protesters rallied in cities across France on Saturday, denouncing President Emmanuel Macron’s intent to “p*** off” people refusing Covid-19 vaccines by tightening curbs on their civil liberties.

Macron said this week he wanted to irritate unvaccinated people by making their lives so complicated they would end up getting jabbed. Unvaccinated people were irresponsible and unworthy of being considered citizens, he added.

In Paris, protesters retorted by adopting his slangy wording, chanting “We’ll p*** you off”.

A person holds a sign that reads ‘Omicron = Flu’ at a protest against coronavirus measures in Paris, France on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Others carried signs saying “No to the vaccine pass”, a reference to Macron’s legislative push to require proof of vaccination to enter venues such as cafes, bars and museums.

Television images showed skirmishes between protesters and police at one site. Protesters also rallied through the streets in Marseille, Nantes and Le Mans among other cities.

“(Macron’s remarks) were the last straw. We are not irresponsible,” said hospital administrator Virginie Houget, who has avoided a mandatory vaccine order for health workers because she caught Covid-19 late last year.

The protesters accuse Macron of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally. He says freedoms carry responsibilities that include protecting the health of others.