French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for national unity and vaccination to fight the resurgent virus and lashed out at those fueling anti-vaccination 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.
Macron visited a hospital in French Polynesia on Saturday night at Tahiti time.
He 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?”
He said protesters are “free to express themselves in a calm and respectful manner.”
But Macron said demonstrations won't make the coronavirus go away.
