French restaurateurs drop civil disobedience as government threatens to cut aid
Issued on:
01/02/2021 - 15:52 Customers lunch at Le Poppies restaurant in Nice on 27 January. Owner Christophe Wilson opened it as an act of civil disobedience in protest against the government-ordered coronavirus closure of bars and restaurants in France. The slogan reads Restaurants, if you don t open soon, we ll all suffer. Angry customers . REUTERS - ERIC GAILLARD 6 min Some French restaurateurs were set to open and serve sit-down meals on Monday to protest ongoing Covid closures. But a government warning that they would lose their right to a solidarity bailout fund has watered down the day of action.
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Restaurants in France have been serving customers in defiance of Covid restrictions – sometimes in secret – prompting an angry response from the government.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned restaurant owners they risked losing Covid-19 financial aid if they open in defiance of the pandemic shutdown.
Angry owners say their livelihoods have been in jeopardy since the closures were ordered on October 30. An initial deadline of January 20 passed with little prospect of a return to business as usual any time soon.
“We will see if I end up in custody or if I have a fine,” said Kathia Boucher, owner of La Boheme restaurant in Ligescourt, northern France, after receiving a visit from police. Arguing that restaurants are no more dangerous than shops, she opened her restaurant and had 30 place settings.
Thousands of people, including several chefs, have backed a French restaurateur who plans to serve protest meals on Monday despite a fresh warning from the country s finance minister.
Stéphane Turillon, owner of La Source Bleue in Cusance, eastern France, has said he will open his establishment even though government-ordered closures remain in place for all restaurants and bars, with them only able to offer a takeaway service.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned restaurant owners on Monday that they risked losing COVID-19 financial aid if they open in defiance of the pandemic shutdown.
Angry owners say their livelihoods are at risk since the closures were ordered on October 30, with little prospect of a return to business as usual anytime soon.
French restaurant owner detained for defying shutdown
Issued on:
28/01/2021 - 14:32 2 min
Nice (France) (AFP)
A restaurant owner was in police custody on Thursday after he defied France s coronavirus restrictions by inviting dozens of people to eat in a revolt against the government s ban on the opening of cafes and other eateries.
The incident underscored the risks for President Emmanuel Macron as he weighs a third Covid-19 lockdown against growing frustration over curfews, work-from-home rules and other measures to curb the pandemic.
Christophe Wilson, 50, opened his restaurant Poppies in Nice on the Mediterranean coast on Wednesday for around 100 people who dropped their face masks to enjoy a Provencal stew and other specialities.