Inspired by Canadian truck drivers who have caused chaos in Ottawa and blocked major highways between Canada and the United States, members of the so-called “Freedom Column” include both opponents of vaccination and people outraged by soaring energy prices.
Some drivers who had parked their vehicles on the roadside off Chartre, about 80 kilometers from Paris, were on their way again around 5.00, according to text messages from AFP.
The aim of the protesters is to “create a mass of vehicles that law enforcement forces will not be able to stop”.
Paris police say 7,200 police officers and gendarmes have been mobilized to prevent the capital from being blocked.
Bulldozers have also been prepared to remove barricades, tow trucks to deliver protest vehicles to improvised car parks and launchers to disperse demonstrators.
For the first time since the end of 2018, when the authorities tried to quell the so-called “yellow vest protests”, gendarmerie armored vehicles were also brought to Paris.
“If they block traffic or try to block the capital, we must be very strict,” said Prime Minister Jean-Claude.
Hundreds of cars, trailers and vans departing from Lille, Strasbourg, Chatobur and other French cities reached the outskirts of Paris on Friday, but police say none of the columns have yet entered the capital.
Police estimate that there were a total of about 3,300 vehicles in the protesters’ convoy.
Paris police have banned the protest because it could lead to “public nuisance” and protesters are facing fines and administrative arrests for blocking the streets.
On Friday night, the ban was upheld by a court that dismissed two protests.
Some protesters plan to continue on their way to Brussels after the action in Paris, where the so-called “Confluence of Europe” column is scheduled for Monday.
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