PARIS — French police began removing demonstrators and towing away cars as they cracked down on attempts by protesters inspired by Canada’s “freedom convoys” from blockading Paris.
Despite the interception of convoys on the Paris ring road earlier on Saturday, several demonstrators managed to evade police controls and drove to the Champs-Elysees in the center of the capital to try to block traffic.
Paris police used tear gas to disperse them, and said in a tweet that tow trucks were removing vehicles. While the situation remained relatively calm, some 14 people were detained.
France has banned the “convois de la liberte,” or freedom convoys, that aim to protest the country’s COVID-19 vaccine pass. Police have deployed some 7,200 officers over the weekend in the capital and at toll booths along major highways to deter protesters.
Earlier on Saturday, police said they intercepted a few convoys on the Paris ring road, including one comprising 450 vehicles. They issued tickets to more than 300 people as part of an effort begun overnight to halt the demonstrations, Paris police said in a tweet.
Authorities had preventively set up barricades and armored vehicles at some Paris intersections, including along the Champs-Elysees.
The convoys emerged in Ottawa last month in response to a Canadian government policy requiring truck drivers crossing the U.S. border to be vaccinated.
In France, the vaccine pass prevents people who haven’t received COVID shots from participating in most social activities, including going to restaurants and cultural spaces.
