French vaccine passports: an update

The British people must unequivocally reject any compromises on vaccine passports. Those who believe that the vaccine passport will not be extended further than nightclubs are truly mistaken.

We are now just two days away from the big day. On Sunday, the introduction of the vaccine passport will send France into complete disarray. Cafés, restaurants, bars, shops, and every other public establishment up and down the country will be forced to demand its customers to provide a QR code upon entrance. Darkness truly will descend upon the enlightened country.

President Macron’s draconian measures were officially approved by the French National Assembly on the 23rd of July with few concessions and little room for manoeuvre. Despite the severity of the bill’s consequences, the voting turnout was astonishingly low with just a measly 216 out of a possible 577 deputies bothering to turn up to vote: a rather pathetic 62.5% abstention rate.

The opposition, which did make an appearance, saw their efforts to dilute the most authoritarian aspects of the bill rendered superfluous by a stubborn government hellbent on total control of its population. A request to lower the bank-breaking fine of one thousand euros, which will be imposed on those unvaccinated citizens carrying out the most mundane activities such as drinking a coffee outside a café, was rejected. An amendment exhorting an increase in the age requirement for the vaccine passport from twelve to eighteen- also rejected. A demand to exempt hospitals visits from vaccine prerequisites- rejected. A modification to absolve polling stations from proof of vaccination upon entrance- rejected. This final amendment rejection is particularly significant in France as mail-in balloting has been outlawed since 1975 due to the opportunities it had previously presented for voter fraud.

The soon-to-be segregated nation will thus see half of its population stripped of its democratic rights as well as its everyday liberties. To add insult to injury, one of the few exemptions that the French government did allow was the obligation for French deputies to show proof of vaccination upon entering the National Assembly. As per usual, it is one rule for me and one rule for thee.

The most concerning aspect of the bill, however, must be the interference in our professional lives. Indeed, the French Government has gone as far as demanding that every establishment that hosts the public should require its staff to be vaccinated. Furthermore, those employees who fail to comply will now be faced with a two-month unpaid suspension from their work. Continued failure to comply within those two months could then lead to the possibility of being made redundant by your company. Trade unions’ silence on the matter has truly been deafening.

Despite being commemorated as heroes throughout the pandemic, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel will be at the forefront of Macron’s firing line. If not vaccinated by the 15th of September, these people will be hit with hefty fines and threats of dismissal. It appears that our claps for carers will soon be replaced with slaps for carers.

The sole beacon of hope left in France is the people themselves who continue to mobilise each week to fight for their liberties. Having attended a few of the rallies myself, I can feel both the crowds and their determination growing each week. The French mainstream media will have you believe that these protests are diminishing. Unsurprisingly, BFMTV had broadcast images of mostly empty streets around Paris, implying that only 11,000 had bothered to show up. In truth, the French broadcaster had used images that had been taken hours before the protest had even begun. Aerial photographs, taken by drones during the apogee of the protests, showed an attendance in the hundreds of thousands. The French media’s desperate attempt to water down the attendance numbers through fake images mirrored the tactics of the Iranian state media during the Gulf War.

Bournbrook readers, I have a warning from the future. The British people must unequivocally reject any compromises on vaccine passports. Those who believe that the vaccine passport will not be extended further than nightclubs are truly mistaken. Back in May, French health minister, Olivier Véran, stated that French vaccine passports would solely be required for events with large crowds. Just six weeks later, the French were stunned by Macron’s declaration that vaccination would become a prerequisite for every aspect of our life. If we give an inch, they will take a mile.