The French parliament may claim that it is a legislative body representing the will of most citizens, but members did not act like it this week after passing a measure mandating COVID-19 passports to participate fully in society despite mass protests against the measure.
LifeSite News reports that parliamentarians passed legislation transforming the French “health pass” into a full-blown passport, meaning that unvaccinated citizens can't simply present evidence of a negative COVID test in order to take part in virtually any public activity.
"The bill was passed Sunday following two weeks of heated debate within France’s two houses of Parliament," the outlet reported. "Sunday’s decisive vote at the National Assembly (France’s lower house) ended two weeks of rounds and debates. Several amendments were made, and the final version of the bill was passed with a majority of 215 votes in favor and 58 votes against."
The measure has caused a huge backlash throughout the country, with thousands taking to the streets in Paris and other cities the day before the vote to voice their opposition. The tension was so high in some places that demonstrators clashed with police, the outlet reported.
?[LIVE] #Manifestation #UnionSacrée contre le #PassVaccinal à la Tour Eiffel, à #Paris
YouTube ?? https://t.co/38svdV9zPB#manifs15janvier #manif15janvier #unionsacree #giletsjaunes #passvaccinnal #passsanitaire #greenpass #vaccinemandate pic.twitter.com/KZPZBY5DHR
— TV YÉ ! (@tvyefr) January 15, 2022
?Nouvelle mobilisation à #Paris contre le pass vaccinal comme ici avec la manifestation des #GiletsJaunes. À noter que les députés ont adopté tôt ce matin, le projet de loi transformant le #PassSanitaire en #PassVaccinal en deuxième lecture.#manifs15janvier #manifestation pic.twitter.com/fBfEhAE2H3
— Charles Baudry (@CharlesBaudry) January 15, 2022
?DIRECT INFO? Paris : Tentions... #manifestation15janvier #GiletsJaunes #GiletJaune#antiPass #antivaxx #antivax pic.twitter.com/3PAYS3EZz0
— HORS-ZONE PRESS (@HZ_Press) January 15, 2022
Some French lawmakers expressed anger that the bill only deepened the segregation between vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens, which had been worsening ever since it was introduced.
“We have to try everything [to fight this],” said presidential candidate Florian Philippot, leader of French nationalist party “The Patriots” on the eve of the bill’s passage by the National Assembly.
“If it passes, my hope is that it disappears as quickly as possible and that those responsible be brought to justice,” he continued.
After it passed, the administration of President Emmanual Macron expressed an interest in implementing it by Jan. 20, though some socialist ministers of parliament have filed an appeal to the French Constitutional Council, the country's highest constitutional authority, to make sure that the law still allows for "fundamental liberties" -- which seems impossible, given the requirements.
"Once the bill is implemented, however, French citizens will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter leisure venues as well as restaurants, bars, and regional public transports," LifeSite News reported. "Presentation of a negative COVID test will no longer be sufficient anywhere except at public health facilities."
Originally, Parliament had only scheduled a week of debate for the legislation, but eventually, that was extended to two weeks after some members expressed grave concerns over the measure, especially following Macron's comments in which he said publicly he wanted to "piss off" French citizens who were not vaccinated. He went on to call them "irresponsible people" who are "not citizens" the same day French MPs were scheduled to vote on the vaccine passport.
Never mind that the vaccines are not keeping people from contracting the virus.
Once again, the French law proves that Western 'democracies' really aren't democracies at all; they are run by 'liberals' who, until now, have been closet authoritarians, but saw COVID as an opportunity to impose mandates and restrictions on their nominally 'free' societies under the false guise of pretending to 'protect' them.
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