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The police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters after a so-called Freedom Convoy protesting against the coronavirus restrictions entered the French capital Paris. The authorities issued more than 500 tickets at three entry points into Paris as a ban was imposed to deter protesters from joining the convoy. French Prime Minister Jean Castex and senior police officers issued a warning in the wake of mass protests across the country. “If they block traffic or if they try to block the capital, we must be very firm about this,” Jean Castex told France TV 2. “The right to demonstrate and to have an opinion are a constitutionally guaranteed right in our republic and in our democracy. The right to block others or to prevent coming and going is not,” he added. Thousands of police officers were deployed with armoured personnel carriers and water cannons at crucial points in the capital. However, majority of the protesters were expressing their anger over coronavirus restrictions while others were taking part in the protest over other issues like rise in energy prices and austerity measures. The protest in France is inspired by the Freedom Convoy in Canada.
(Reuters)
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