The interior ministry said 137 marches took place across the country, gathering nearly 114,000 people, of which 18,000 were in Paris. The measures had already prompted smaller demonstrations earlier this week, forcing police to use tear gas to disperse protesters. Despite the strength of the protests, an Ipsos-Sopra Steria poll released on Friday found more than 60% of French people agree with mandatory vaccination for health workers, as well as a requirement for a health pass in some public places. We must adapt and face it", Castex told reporters in southwestern France, referring to the variant first identified in India. Some 55.5% of the French had had a single dose of a vaccine as of Saturday and 44.8% were fully inoculated.

Source: The Star July 17, 2021 15:00 UTC