Sharjah24 – AFP: Thousands gathered Saturday in the streets of Montreal to protest against the province of Quebec's Covid-19 vaccine passport, which will go into effect early next month.
Holding signs that said "Freedom!" and "We are not laboratory rats," the demonstrators, many of whom came with their families, paraded peacefully under a blazing sun in downtown Montreal.
Quebecers wanting to eat at a restaurant, exercise at the gym or attend a festival will need to present proof of vaccination against the coronavirus beginning September 1, under a measure introduced by the province earlier this week.
Other signs in the crowd read "Dictatorship," "The vaccine scam," and "Health apartheid," and were seen dotting the crowd alongside a number of Quebec flags.
Vaccination rates in the French-speaking province are high -- 84 percent of Quebecers have received a first dose and 70 percent are fully vaccinated.
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