Jack Newman and Jacob Thorburn \u2013 Daily Mail Feb 12, 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\nArmoured vehicles lined the historic streets of Paris yesterday evening as the French capital braced itself for the arrival of thousands of ‘Freedom Convoy’ truckers who plan to blockade the city.<\/p>\n
The convoy, inspired by the Canadian truckers demonstrating against vaccine mandates, began in cities across the country including Bayonne, Perpignan, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg and Nice, and started trickling into towns outside Paris late Friday evening.\u00a0Police sources estimate almost 2,000 vehicles will descend on the city.<\/p>\n
They include many anti-Covid vaccination activists, but also people protesting against fast-rising energy prices that they say are making it impossible for low-income families to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong><\/a> was forced to call for calm as the protestors gained further momentum, with one Facebook<\/strong><\/a> group attributed to the\u00a0‘Convoi de la<\/strong><\/a> Liberte’ reaching more than 350,000 followers as of Friday evening.<\/p>\nWith just two months before the impending elections the premier told Ouest-France newspaper he understood the ‘fatigue’ linked to the Covid 19 pandemic, but added: ‘This fatigue also leads to anger. I understand it and I respect it. But I call for the utmost calm.’<\/p>\n
Paris police warned those taking part they risk a two-year prison sentence, driving ban and hefty fine, but that has not deterred the thousands of motorists intending to cause road chaos before moving on to Brussels on Monday.<\/p>\n
Belgium and Austria have also banned the convoys which aim to paralyse cities in the same way the truckers caused a gridlock in Ottawa.<\/p>\n
Pensioner Jean-Marie Azais, who joined the convoy in the south-west of France, told\u00a0The Guardian<\/strong><\/a>: ‘We’ve been going around in circles for three years. We saw the Canadians and said to ourselves: ‘It’s awesome, what they’re doing.’ In eight days, boom, something was sparked.’<\/p>\n
With just two months before the impending elections the premier told Ouest-France newspaper he understood the ‘fatigue’ linked to the Covid 19 pandemic, but added: ‘This fatigue also leads to anger. I understand it and I respect it. But I call for the utmost calm.’<\/p>\n
Paris police warned those taking part they risk a two-year prison sentence, driving ban and hefty fine, but that has not deterred the thousands of motorists intending to cause road chaos before moving on to Brussels on Monday.<\/p>\n
Belgium and Austria have also banned the convoys which aim to paralyse cities in the same way the truckers caused a gridlock in Ottawa.<\/p>\n
Pensioner Jean-Marie Azais, who joined the convoy in the south-west of France, told\u00a0The Guardian<\/strong><\/a>: ‘We’ve been going around in circles for three years. We saw the Canadians and said to ourselves: ‘It’s awesome, what they’re doing.’ In eight days, boom, something was sparked.’<\/p>\n
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