Paris police ban Canada-style 'Freedom Convoy' protest against French COVID restrictions
Police in Paris have banned a planned demonstration in the French capital this weekend as part of a so-called "Freedom Convoy", inspired by a truckers' protest against COVID restrictions in Canada.
The authorities claim the movement's objective is to "block the capital" from Friday before heading to Brussels for a wider protest.
Measures will be put in place to "prevent the blocking of roads, issue fines and arrest those who break this ban," the police headquarters said in a statement (in French). The ban will last from Friday until Monday.
Thousands of opponents of France's vaccine pass have said on social media they intend to converge on Paris.
On Wednesday several convoys left Nice, Bayonne and Perpignan in the south, aiming to reach the capital by Friday night. There have been calls to join Brussels for a "European convergence" scheduled for Monday.
Weeks of protests in the Canadian capital Ottawa have led to a state of emergency being declared, while the blockade of a bridge linking Canada with the US city of Detroit threatens to disrupt the North American car industry.
The Paris police statement issued a reminder that obstructing traffic can be punished by a two-year prison sentence, a €4,500 fine, and other measures enabling vehicles to be impounded and driving licences suspended.
"The organizer of a banned demonstration can be punished by six months' imprisonment and a fine of €7,500," the préfecture said, adding that those taking part could receive a fine of €135.
The French government was aware of a general weariness with the pandemic and the restrictions, spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.
"There are more than a few hundred thousand people who are fed up with living with this virus and, in France as everywhere
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