President Emmanuel Macron shocked France this week by vowing to “piss off” the unvaccinated, whose comings and goings are severely curtailed by the need to show a “health pass” to access various public venues and transport. As France debates introducing an even stricter “vaccine pass” later this month, FRANCE 24 spoke to people who are holding out against the Covid jab about the adjustments they have made.
“The unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off. And so we’re going to continue doing so until the end. That’s the strategy,” Macron told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published late Tuesday.
The French expression Macron actually used – “emmerder“, literally, to put in the “merde” (shit) – can also mean to bother or cause trouble for someone (embêter), according to French dictionary Larousse.
His comments came as the government debates legislation that would make it mandatory for people to show proof of being vaccinated – and not just a negative Covid test or proof of having recovered from coronavirus – to access most public venues and transport.
The French president’s blunt statement prompted a round of breathless media coverage in France and beyond. Presidential challengers on both left and right emerged to condemn his choice of phrase. But none were more troubled than the unvaccinated themselves, who heard in his words a warning that their lives were about to become even more difficult.
Everyone FRANCE 24 spoke to – all of whom only agreed to speak using a pseudonym – said their lives had become more difficult since Macron introduced the health pass last summer. Most are now also contemplating getting vaccinated to make things easier, lending some credence to the idea that Covid restrictions might win over at least some of the vaccine hesitant.
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Source : france24
