France: Macron calls for unity after anti-vaccine protests

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for national unity and vaccination to fight the resurgent virus

PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for national unity and mass vaccination to fight the resurgent virus, and lashed out at those fueling anti-vaccine sentiment and protests. About 160,000 people protested around France on Saturday against a special COVID-19 pass for restaurants and mandatory vaccinations for health workers. Many marchers shouted “liberty!” and said the government shouldn’t tell them what to do. Visiting a hospital in French Polynesia on Saturday night Tahiti time, Macron asked, “What is your freedom worth if you say to me ‘I don’t want to be vaccinated,’ but tomorrow you infect your father, your mother or myself?” While he said protesters are “free to express themselves in a calm and respectful manner,” he said demonstrations won’t make the coronavirus go away.