Video shows French police using tear gas to break up anti-vaccine protests

• French police tear-gassed a crowd of demonstrators on Wednesday.
• The protest was against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to require proof of vaccination to access non-essential places like movie theaters and bars.
• A video shows the moment police deployed tear gas leading the crowd to disperse.

French police deployed tear gas on a group of protesters demonstrating Wednesday against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to require a COVID-19 "health pass" to go to restaurants or movie theaters.

Video shared on Twitter shows protesters in Paris fleeing as officers disperse tear gas into the crowd. The large group of protesters had taken to the streets of Paris to protest the new requirement, some wearing "No to the health pass" badges, but did not have permission from Paris authorities to march, Reuters reported.

Macron had announced on Monday that France will require proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test to access non-essential places like bars and movie theaters starting in August.

The decision comes as the Delta variant is causing an uptick of infections in the country, according to Reuters.

As Newsy reported, over one million people signed up to receive the vaccine in less than a 24-hour period following Macron's announcement earlier this week.