Big protests mark global anger at Covid restrictions

Protesters in Italy demonstrated against a mandatory "green pass" for indoor dining and entertainment

In France police deployed teargas and water cannon against some protesters

More than 100,000 people protested in Australia, France, Italy and Greece on Saturday, sparking clashes with police as they railed against Covid-19 measures and government sanctions against the unvaccinated aimed at prodding more people into getting jabs. 

Dozens of protesters were arrested after an unauthorised march in Sydney, with the city's police minister branding those who took part as "morons".

In France, where police deployed teargas and water cannon against some protesters, an estimated 160,000 took to the streets in nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron's health pass that will drastically curtail access to restaurants and public spaces for unvaccinated people.

"Freedom, freedom", chanted demonstrators in France, carrying placards denouncing "Macron, Tyrant", "Big Pharma shackles freedom" or saying "No to the pass of shame".

In Indonesia and the UK, governments have pressed ahead with easing of restrictions even in the face of surging.

And in Italy protesters gathered in Rome to demonstrate against a mandatory "green pass" for indoor dining and entertainment.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was "utterly disgusted" by the protesters whose "selfish actions have compromised the safety of all of us".

In Melbourne, meanwhile, six people were arrested. police said.

New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott said a team of detectives would be scouring footage to identify and charge as many people as possible in the coming days.

Sydney, a city of over five million people, is struggling to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant, first identified in India and now spreading globally.

There is growing anger at the restrictions and the conservative government's failure to provide adequate vaccine supplies.

In France, as elsewhere in Europe, the government is making it harder for reluctant citizens to put off getting the jabs.

There were signs the tougher measures announced on July 13 were having the desired effect: 48 percent of the population were fully vaccinated as of Friday, up eight percentage points from July 10.

"They've been lying to us since the beginning," she said. 

...

Originally published as Big protests mark global anger at Covid restrictions