Vaccination centers vandalized in France amid protests against COVID-19 measures
As tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets to demonstrate against France's new COVID-19 measures, two vaccination sites were vandalized, French authorities said.
On Friday night, vandals used fire hoses to flood a clinic in Lans-en-Vercors, BBC News reports, and on Saturday, a site in Urrugne was partially destroyed in an arson attack. There was anti-vaccine graffiti also found near the clinic in Lans-en-Vercors.
Since the start of the pandemic, at least 111,000 people have died of COVID-19 in France. New coronavirus cases are on the rise, and the French government wants to stop the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. After scientists who advise the government warned that a fourth wave is on the way, French President Emmanuel Macron announced new mitigation measures, including mandatory vaccinations for health workers and passes to show people are fully vaccinated.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This triggered the weekend's protests, where demonstrators, encouraged by far-right politician Florian Philippot, marched with signs claiming their freedom was being taken away because of the measures. Slightly more than 50 percent of the French population has received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and less than 40 percent is fully vaccinated. Since Macron's announcement, hundreds of thousands of people have signed up to get vaccinated, BBC News reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Did the Covid virus leak from a lab?
The Explainer Once dismissed as a conspiracy theory, the idea that Covid-19 originated in a virology lab in Wuhan now has many adherents
By The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published