Anti Vax Protests Today
The protesters were everywhere. The streets were so packed that I could barely find my way through. I was late for an appointment, and I was rushing to get to the other side of town. When I reached the square, I couldn’t move. I was stuck in the crowd. I couldn’t turn right, so I moved to the next street with the group. No chance there either. I stood still, looking around for an open spot to slip into, when suddenly I was hit by the point of someone’s flag that was swinging in protest. We were both startled as he had just missed my eye. We laughed, and he apologized over and over. “Ca vas? Pardon. Ca vas? Pardon”. As there were good vibes, I jokingly looked at him and said in French, while pointing at his flag, that what just happened was worse than the vaccine. He laughed, but it was probably at that moment that there was a clear divide and slight confusion. I think we liked each other. We had a joke, but then he realized that I was masked; he was not. I am fully vaccinated; he surely is not. I was annoyed about the situation, and he was there defending his freedom. Fair enough. I waved goodbye, and I found an escape through the outdoor cafes. As I zig-zagged my way through the tables and chairs, I felt free, but it wouldn’t last long. Once on the other side of the square, I was stuck again, so I decided to walk with the sea of people until I was finally spat out on the other end and was able to continue my journey in peace. As I looked around, I thought it was interesting that all of the cafes were busy, and the market stalls were doing their best to sell to their customers. The people who were sitting in the cafes seemed to continue as if nothing was going on around them.
Meanwhile, the protestors were so big in number that their obvious goal was to disrupt the peace and prevent life from progressing as usual. Did it work? I’m not sure. I feel that both sides ignored each other. From what I could see, there was no interaction between the two sides. There was just a lot of noise coming from the protestors.
This morning I left my house unaware of what was going on outside. What I found was a crowd of angry people. It’s a tense world. I made my appointment on time, but the route to get there was nothing but hectic. I have my point of view, and I respect that of others. I will never get used to the protests that happen in France, but it is part of their culture. I don’t think anything will change for the anti-vaxxers, but I have a feeling things will get worse before they get better.
What’s next?