An armored personnel carrier parked at the Arc de Triomphe in preparation for the Liberty Convoy action in ParisPARIS Feb 12 . More than 32 thousand people took part in protests against covid restrictions throughout France, of which about 7.6 thousand were in Paris, the BFMTV channel reported, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the head of department Gerald Darmanin, the police detained 54 protesters and issued 337 fines.
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Despite the fact that the authorities of the French capital banned the action, part of the convoy, called the «Freedom Convoy», entered the Champs Elysees. The security forces had to repeatedly use tear gas. By evening, the police cleared most of the central street of Paris, but later some protesters returned to the Champs Elysees. French motorists, inspired by the protests in Canada, drove to in the direction of Paris to hold an action against the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus. In Paris, more than seven thousand policemen and gendarmes were mobilized to prevent the blocking of roads by the Convoy of Freedom. On Saturday, the prefecture of police reported the detention of a total of about 800 vehicles at the entrances to the capital.