French truckers and activists who sympathize with them are planning a massive rally in Paris. The protesters do not hide: they were inspired by recent events in Canada, where local drivers united in the so-called "freedom convoy" to achieve the lifting of new coronavirus restrictions. Whether the French activists will be able to produce the same stir and whether their plans for the presidential campaign of Emmanuel Macron threaten - understood. The French authorities, apparently impressed by the destabilization in Canada, immediately marked the boundaries of what is acceptable. On Friday, February 11, the Paris Police Prefecture officially banned the movement of trucks in the capital. The ban also included vehicles that, according to the authorities, were supposed to participate in the so-called "freedom convoy". Violators face heavy fines and jail time.

The authorities will deploy additional forces to prevent blockages on major roads and to be able to detain those who violate the ban on protests," the city police said in a statement.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also warned the activists. According to him, law enforcement agencies will take action if one group of people tries to interfere with the freedom of another, "especially at the entrances to the capital."

“If this happens, the state’s response will be as tough as possible,” Darmanen said.

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, in turn, said that she understands the goals of the protesters, comparing them with the actions of the “yellow vests” that shook the country in 2018.

What are they protesting against

Participants of the "freedom convoy" plan to divide into six groups. The demonstrators intend to reach Paris on Friday evening. Cars go from Nice, Bayonne, Strasbourg, Cherbourg, Lyon and other cities. And although the exact meeting place is not called, local media expect to meet a "convoy" on the Paris ring highway. By Monday (February 14), the activists plan to arrive in Brussels for a joint action with local demonstrators.

The protesters in France demonstrate a high level of self-organization. One of the movement's Telegram channels published tips for people who want to help activists.

Among other things, sympathizers are offered to prepare meals for drivers, provide them with accommodation and fuel, and provide financial support. Canadian activists followed a similar scenario.

The organizers of the protests in France expect to involve the wider population in the action. They make it clear on social networks: whether you are a teacher or an artist, a student or a nurse, everyone will be welcome.

According to the activists themselves, they are protesting against the law on "vaccine passes", which came into force on January 24. According to this document, French citizens cannot visit public places without completing the full vaccination scheme. Prior to the adoption of innovations, people could “go out” by providing a fresh negative test for coronavirus or documenting the disease they had.

The new law also increased penalties for violating sanitation measures and falsifying documents. The fine for legal entities has increased to 50 thousand euros. Individuals can be sentenced to pay up to 75 thousand imprisonment for up to 5 years.

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French traditions of protest

Protest activity has not subsided in the country since 2018, when the Macron government first initiated large-scale neoliberal reforms to improve the economy.

In a conversation with the head of the sector of regional problems and conflicts of the Department of European Political Studies of the IMEMO RAS, Pavel Timofeev pointed out that in France many social groups are protesting at the same time, giving the protest movement the appearance of a “motley mosaic”. Each protest group has its own specific motives and reasons to be dissatisfied, so the demands of truckers should be considered as an independent phenomenon, the expert said.

“You should not sweep all the protests under one brush. In general, Macron's presidency is characterized by such increased social activity. He has been carrying out painful reforms since 2017, and the social price for this turned out to be very high, so there are a lot of dissatisfied people, ”said Timofeev.

“In general, the French are tired of the protests. The story with truckers is connected not only with covid, but also with economic issues, salaries.

Protests against coronavirus restrictions have been going on almost since last year. No alternative solutions were put forward. People can continue to protest and express indignation. But I do not think that this will provoke a serious crisis, ”the expert concluded.

According to the head of the Center for French Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor at the Higher School of Economics Yuri Rubinsky, protests against coronavirus restrictions have become an important factor in the political life of France. Therefore, the authorities must take into account the popular unrest.“The authorities do not have to agree with the covid-skeptics. But there is a feeling that public opinion requires the denunciation of some restrictive measures - this is a fact, and this is a common phenomenon for the whole world, ”the expert explained.

Rubinsky is sure that French society is tired of quarantine measures. Now the country lives in such conditions when problems of various kinds are "intertwined"; The protests would have continued without the coronavirus, Rubinsky believes.

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Emmanuel, keep your eyes open

The protests of French truckers should be considered in the context of the upcoming presidential race, Pavel Timofeev believes. Right now, Macron's opponents can use the unrest to gain additional electoral points.

“We need to look at the reaction of French politicians. Macron's opponents may try to take advantage of the situation by acting as defenders of the protesters. Someone may even demand that the president relax coronavirus restrictions. But Macron will not agree to this.

It is important for him to show himself as a leader, since everything that he will now say and do will be actively read and taken into account by the French before the elections, ”said Timofeev.

The expert is convinced that Macron will not make concessions. Otherwise, he would show himself as a person "who does not have a clear position."

“He wants to show himself as a person who controls the situation,” the expert concluded.

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Pan-European revolt

Activists do not plan to stay in Paris for a long time. The next stop is Brussels, where a general meeting of protesters from various European countries is scheduled for February 14.

Activists from Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania and the Czech Republic have already announced their intention to join the "convoy" - they expect to reach the capital of Belgium and the European Union by Monday.

As with the French activists, truckers from other EU member states also coordinated their activities using Telegram.

Belgian authorities, meanwhile, banned the movement of the “freedom convoy” from trucks through its territory. How long the ban will last is still unknown.

Petr Oskolkov, senior researcher at the Department of European Integration Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that at the moment it is difficult to say whether the “freedom convoy” will create problems for the normal functioning of the Belgian regions. The expert also drew attention to the fact that the movement has not yet seen signs of centralized control, so it is premature to talk about some kind of threat to the European Union.

“There were no special problems created in the Netherlands. But there the convoys passed through the provinces, while in Belgium the main focus is on Brussels. If the action takes place, it may create certain problems for traffic in the city and the work of public services. But this is unlikely to have a long-term and serious negative effect on the operation of the Belgian infrastructure, ”the expert concluded.

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