Last month, when these announcements were made and the passes rolled out in Europe, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Many of the protests turned violent as police clashed with the modern freedom fighters.
Other protests, however, did not turn violent and in some instances, police even joined in with the protesters in an ostensible effort to end up on the right side of history.
“Personally, I am not vaccinated, and I won’t be,” said one French protester, according to euronews. “It doesn’t matter what we are forbidden from doing, going to stores, swimming pools, cinemas, it doesn’t matter … Life is priceless. Freedom, that’s precisely it, freedom to not to be vaccinated, and not to give in to the government’s blackmail.”
In Switzerland, beginning on the 13th of September, the COVID-19 certificates became mandatory for all persons over the age of 16, including tourists, who wish to access indoor areas of restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities, and several other events.
“Based on the overall situation, the Federal Council has decided to extend the certificate requirement for persons aged 16 and over. This is to prevent hospitals from being overstretched. It will take two to three weeks for this measure to have an impact on the situation in the hospitals,” the statement of the Swiss Federal Council reads.
Those who refuse to abide by the new vaccine passport rules are subject to police intervention, fines and even seizure of their businesses.
“Establishments and event organizers that do not comply with the certificate requirement may be fined or even closed down. The cantons (Swiss states) are responsible for monitoring compliance,” the Council stated.
While a disturbingly large portion of society is embracing this modern-day Scarlet Letter, an encouraging amount of folks are resisting — and are doing it in the most epic of ways.
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