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WORLD NEWS Diamars 20 Juli 2021

Anger as French protesters compare vaccines to Nazi horrors

(AP) — A French Ho- vaccinated against the coro- tougher border controls on
locaust survivor has de- navirus and requiring COV- visitors, and some regions
nounced anti-vaccination ID-19 passes to enter restau- have reinstated mask rules
protesters comparing rants and other venues. outdoors and ordered res-
themselves to Jews who taurants and bars to close
were persecuted by Nazi At a large protest in Paris early. Government spokes-
Germany during World on Saturday against vaccine man Attal raised the possibil-
War II. French officials rules, one demonstrator past- ity Monday of shutting down
and anti-racism groups ed a star on his back reading night clubs again, just days
joined the 94-year-old in “not vaccinated.” Another, after they reopened.
expressing indignation. Bruno Auquier, a 53-year-old
town councilor who lives on Klarsfeld, whose father died
As more than 100,000 peo- the outskirts of Paris, drew a in Auschwitz, pushed back
ple marched around France yellow star on his T-shirt and against protesters’ demands
against government vaccine took aim at the analogy, stress- law is in place. handed out arm bands with for “liberty” and claims that
rules on Saturday, some dem- ing Monday that “the yellow the star. the latest health measures
onstrators wore yellow stars star was a symbol of death “We won’t cede to a dicta- were dictatorial, saying that
recalling the ones the Nazis that excluded Jews from so- torship of images and outra- “I will never get vaccinated,” dictatorships adopt repressive
forced Jews to wear. Other ciety and marked them for geous words,” the govern- Auquier said. “People need to measures to serve their own
demonstrators carried signs extermination, while vac- ment spokesman said in ref- wake up,” he said, question- ends, while republics some-
evoking the Auschwitz death cines, on the other hand, save erence to the anti-vaccination ing the safety of COVID-19 times adopt necessary mea-
camp or South Africa’s apart- lives.” To equate the two, he protesters. vaccines. sures for everyone’s good.
heid regime, claiming the told The Associated Press, is
French government was un- an “odious” comparison that The International League Auquier expressed concern “What freedom is it they
fairly mistreating them with serves to trivialize the yellow against Racism and Anti- that the new measures would seek? The freedom to be
its anti-pandemic measures. star. Semitism said the anti- restrict his two children’s contagious?” he asked.
vaccination protesters were freedom and pledged to take
“You can’t imagine how French government spokes- “mocking victims of the them out of school if vaccina- In Germany last year, sev-
much that upset me. This man Gabriel Attal lamented Holocaust” and minimiz- tion becomes mandatory. eral people protesting virus
comparison is hateful. We the “absolutely abject com- ing crimes against human- restrictions put on Stars of
must all rise up against this parisons” of vaccine rules to ity committed during World Polls suggest most French David, prompting prominent
ignominy,” Holocaust sur- Nazi atrocities, and he urged War II. people support the measures, German Jewish leader Josef
vivor Joseph Szwarc said other political leaders to but they have prompted an- Schuster to denounce a “dis-
Sunday during a ceremony speak out. Some commentators said ger in some quarters. Vandals gusting instrumentalization”
commemorating victims of political forces that are jock- targeted two vaccination cen- of the symbol.
antisemitic and racist acts by Attal later stressed the need eying ahead of next year’s ters in southwest France over
the French state, which col- for vaccinations despite some French presidential election the weekend. One was set In Russia, popular actor Ye-
laborated with Adolf Hitler’s increasingly radical pockets manipulated the protesters. on fire, and another covered gor Beroyev wore a yellow
regime. of resistance. in graffiti, including a refer- star last month at an awards
Saturday’s protests drew a ence to the Nazi occupation ceremony, speaking of “wak-
“I wore the star, I know what “We are in a fourth wave,” he mix of people angry at the of France. ing up in a world where
that is, I still have it in my said after a Monday evening government for various rea- (COVID-19 vaccination)
flesh,” Szwarc, who was de- Cabinet meeting, a day be- sons, and notably, supporters France has reported more became an identification
ported from France by the fore a bill goes to parliament of the far right. Prominent than 111,000 deaths in the mark.” He drew widespread
Nazis, said with tears in his to make vaccination passes to French far-right figures have pandemic, and new con- criticism but also scattered
eyes. “It is everyone’s duty to access public spaces, includ- been convicted in the past of firmed cases are increasing support. He spoke after the
not allow this outrageous, an- ing restaurants, obligatory. It antisemitism, racism and de- sharply again, raising worries Moscow mayor announced
tisemitic, racist wave to pass enters into force Wednesday nying the Holocaust. about renewed pressure on new coronavirus restrictions
over us.” for cultural and recreational hospitals and further restric- including for restaurants.
venues, and early August for The government is introduc- tions that would damage jobs Those restrictions only lasted
Historian and former Nazi restaurants, bars and other ing a bill Monday requiring a and businesses. three weeks.
hunter Serge Klarsfeld also places — once the fast-track ll health care workers to get The government ordered

Red Cross staff to join migrant rescue boat in Mediterranean

(AP) — A France-based until Italy or Malta grants states to urgently increase
migrant rescue organiza- permission to dock and search and rescue operations,”
tion soon will be getting disembark the passengers. IFRC President Francesco
medical and other assis- Rocca said in the statement.
tance aboard its charity The Geneva-based orga-
ship in the Mediterranean. nization will be providing The Italian and Maltese gov-
first aid and other medi- ernments have appealed to
The International Federa- cal care, psychological sup- other nations in the Europe-
tion of Red Cross and Red port, dry clothes and blan- an Union to take in some of
Crescent Societies, known kets as well as food to res- the tens of thousands of res-
as IFRC, said Monday that cued migrants aboard the cued migrants in recent years,
its teams will go aboard the ship operated by the char- since many of them hope to
Ocean Viking rescue ship ity SOS Mediterranee. reach northern Europe to
starting in August in the find jobs or relatives there.
central Mediterranean Sea. “Lives continue to be need-
lessly lost in the Mediter- Many of the migrants are
That’s an area heavily used by ranean Sea, particularly on denied asylum because they
traffickers based in Libya who the long and treacherous are fleeing poverty and not
launch unseaworthy boats Central Mediterranean route war, other conflict or per-
crowded with migrants to- between Libya and Europe,” people are known to have the same period in 2020. secution. But for the large
ward Italy’s southern shores. the two humanitarian orga- died on that route while try- part, the appeals by Italy
Rescue ships often host the nizations said in a joint state- ing to reach Europe in the “We are proud to start this and Malta to their EU part-
migrants aboard for days ment. They noted that 792 first six months of this year, new mission, but we also call ners have gone unheeded.
three times as many as in on the EU and its member