PARIS (Parliament Politics Magazine) – As lorry drivers prepare to enter the city on Friday, Paris has banned the so-called Freedom Convoy rallies.
Truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, have been paralysed for days.
Convoys from cities and towns around France have begun to make their way to Paris in an attempt to replicate the demonstration.
The demonstrations have been outlawed by police, who have reminded people that interfering with traffic can result in a two-year imprisonment or a fine of €4,500 (£3,800).
Truckers blocked the streets of Ottawa in protest over legislation requiring vaccination to cross the US-Canada border, prompting the city to declare a state of emergency. Over the last two weeks, the organisation has been bolstered by far-right groups, and two dozen arrests have been made and dozens more criminal charges filed.
However, authorities claimed that the potential of comparable disruptions to public order in Paris was one of the reasons for the protests being banned there. The prohibition is in effect from Friday to Monday.
Extra police will be stationed on the highways leading into Paris. Drivers who obstruct the free flow of traffic risk having their licences cancelled or receiving penalty points, in addition to the fear of imprisonment and hefty fines.
The demonstrators in France are organising themselves online and appear to come from a variety of political and ideological perspectives. As a result, determining how many automobiles will make the real-world trip to Paris on Friday is challenging.
However, some online groups have tens of thousands of members, and numerous convoys have already departed places such as Nice, Bayonne, and Perpignan, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.
On Monday, some of the organisations plan to go to Brussels, the EU executive’s headquarters, to link up with a larger group with demonstrations from all of Europe.
Officials predict the Covid pass limitations that sparked the protests in France could be lifted in the next two months, just in time for the April presidential election of France.
Image via Reuters
