The Freedom Convoy is an opposition movement, inspired by demonstrations in Ottawa, Canada. More than 2,500 demonstrators, in particular against the vaccine pass, met this Saturday, February 12 to “block” Paris. Map of the routes and list of their demands.
[Mis à jour le 11 février 2022 à 15h36] This Saturday, February 12, 2022, a freedom convoy is planned in France, in the capital. It is a mobilization movement bringing together thousands of motorists and trucks wishing “ride in Paris“ in protest. According to AFP, 2,500 attendees would be expected with more than a thousand vehicles. In reality, CNews instead, it is counting on around 3,800 demonstrators and 1,700 vehicles en route to the capital. Although Thursday, February 10, the Prefect of Police took a stop prohibiting this undeclared demonstration, denouncing “risks of disturbing public order”, the Freedom Convoy will take place in Paris. A vast police force must be deployed throughout the weekend in the French capital. A Freedom Convoy is also planned in Brussels on Monday 14 February. What is this movement? What are the claims? What are the planned routes? List of protests, route map… Know everything.
What is Freedom Convoy?
The Freedom Convoy is a movement of protest inspired by the mobilization “Freedom Convoy 2022“, born in Canada. Since January 29, 2022, the Canadian capital Ottawa has indeed been saturated with trucks and heavy goods vehicles, blocking streets, circling official buildings and honking non-stop horns in protest against some of the country’s health measures, including the vaccination obligation required to cross the border between Canada and the United States. With the situation deemed to be out of control, the mayor of the city had to declare “emergency state” in the capital and the police had to reinforce the tone and the sanctions against the demonstrators. A similar movement was also observed in Wellington, in New Zealand. The call was launched in France as well. In the midst of the Covid epidemic, thousands of motorists and truck drivers, opponents of health restrictions, from all over France, want to make their voices heard and have made an appointment in Paris to protest, in particular against the vaccination pass. The movement, very active and closely followed on the social networks (Facebook with the Convoy France Official pageYouTube, Twitch) since the end of January, recalls that of yellow vests in 2018. Discussion groups have also been created on the secure messaging application Telegram.
Map: What is the Freedom Convoy’s route?
Opponents from Brest, Perpignan, Nice, Tarbes, Nantes, Lille or Strasbourg… converge towards the capital, but do not a priori target specific Parisian places for the moment. All starting points, as well as routes with date, time and exact address, are listed on the site convoys.fr (see map below).
Should we expect blockages in Paris on Saturday?
Asked about this subject on the 1 p.m. news from France 2 on Friday February 11, Jean Castex does not hear “not allow these virulent attacks against vaccination to be associated with the word freedom. Freedom is not about contaminating others […] The right to demonstrate and to have an opinion is a constitutionally guaranteed right in our republic and in our democracy. The right to block others or prevent coming and going is not. So yes, I asked the Minister of the Interior and the Prefect of Police to take measures not to block as it was, it seems, the intention of the demonstrators not to block Paris“. Namely that on Thursday, February 10, the Paris police headquarters issued an order prohibiting the Freedom Convoy. “Due to the risk of public order disturbances that this gathering could cause, the Prefect of Police issues an order prohibiting such demonstrations, from Friday February 11, 2022 to Monday February 14, 2022 inclusive.“, can we read in their press release. The Prefect of Police gave firm instructions to the internal security forces against any violator of these provisions. A specific system will be put in place by the Prefecture of Police to prevent road blockages, verbalize and challenge violators of this ban on demonstrations.
When does the Freedom Convoy take place in France?
The participants in the Freedom Convoy have made an appointment Saturday, February 12, 2022 in Paris, with a joint arrival on Friday evening around 8 p.m.. The first convoys – Nice, Martigues, Perpignan and Marseille – left on Wednesday 9 February.
Demands: why this Freedom Convoy?
Citizens participating in the Freedom Convoy oppose the health restrictions put in place by the government in France, in particular the use to the vaccination pass. According to official statement of the Convoy France Officiel group, citizens intend to recover:
- Their freedoms
- Their fundamental rights
- Unconditional access to healthcare, education and culture
- Respect for the values essential to our constitution
- Stopping the sacrifice of children and youth.
“We know that there is a fatigue and a weariness of the French vis-à-vis this virus and the measures that we have had to take since the beginning of this crisis to protect the French. There are more than hundreds of thousands of people who are fed up. Corn often radical political movements have sought to capitalize on this lassitude and fatigue to try to create movements. However, France is the European country that has taken the fewest restrictive measures that hinder the freedom of its fellow citizens. Because we have always made this choice to limit as much as possible the measures restricting the freedoms in the life of the French thanks in particular to the tools at our disposal, that is to say the health pass yesterday and the vaccination pass today “argues Gabriel Attal, government spokesman on February 9 at the end of a Health Defense Council, questioned on the launch of the Freedom Convoy.