Jean-Luc Mélenchon supports anti-vaccine protest called by French neofascists
On July 17, tens of thousands participated in protest in France against mandatory coronavirus vaccination and social distancing restrictions. The protests were called and supported by neo-fascist figures, including Marion Maréchal Le Pen and Florian Philippot, the leader of the Patriots Party.
The protest took place against the backdrop of a rise of COVID-19 across Europe, driven by the delta variant. The Macron government is rejecting scientifically-based social distancing policies including, the closure of non-essential workplaces and schools. Rather, Macron proposes only that health workers be vaccinated and that a “health pass” demonstrating either complete vaccination, or a recent negative test result, or recent recovery from the virus before entering restaurants and social events. Maréchal Le Pen and Philippot have themselves denounced obligatory vaccination and any social restriction aimed a