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A French MP has said rules for using the French health pass amount to the government 鈥渉olding people at gunpoint鈥�.

Val茅rie Rabault is the Socialist MP for Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitanie, and president of the Socialist group in the Assembl茅e Nationale.

She told on August 3: 鈥淭he health pass has put people in France in opposition with each other because there is not a clear rule.

鈥漈his comes as France is set to make the health pass a requirement for all adults to enter public spaces including restaurants, cafes and bars from August 9, subject to approval from France鈥檚 Conseil constitutionnel today (August 5).

The health pass provides proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, proof of a negative Covid test taken within the past 48 hours, or proof of having tested positive for the virus 11 days to six months before.

It will also apply to children aged 12 upwards from September 30.

MP supports mandatory vaccination instead of pass

Instead of using the pass, Ms Rabault said that mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 should be introduced for all adults in France.

鈥淚t is a clear rule鈥�, she said of mandatory vaccination. 鈥淚t is a rule that can be put into practice in an organised way and that would allow immunity for all people living in France.鈥�

Socialist groups in the Assembl茅e Nationale and the Senate supported the idea of mandatory vaccination for all adults when new rules for the health pass were put to parliament in July.

On August 2, the president of the French hospital federation Fr茅d茅ric Valletoux also called for mandatory vaccination as an alternative to the 鈥渃omplex鈥� health pass.

Read more: 鈥楳ake Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for all鈥� says French hospital union boss

Ms Rabault said the process of mandatory vaccination could be organised via the Assurance maladie, with the national health provider organising vaccinations for people who are not yet vaccinated by age group, starting with the eldest.

She said this would result in 90% of people in France being vaccinated.

Protests unite opposition against the pass

Ms Rabault also spoke about protests against the health pass, which last weekend saw 200,000 people take to the streets in France.

Many protested against feeling forced into getting vaccinated in order to access public spaces which now require a health pass.

But Ms Rabault said there was a 鈥渃onvergence of opposition鈥� among protestors, including 鈥渢hose who are against the vaccine, those who are vaccinated but are against the pass and those who are not fully vaccinated and are restricted due to the pass鈥�.

She said she felt 鈥渁 lot of sadness鈥� over people in France who have so far rejected the vaccine.

鈥淲e are paying for a downgrading of science in our country, when believing in progress has always been the motor that has driven our democracy since the French Revolution,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e must not have blind faith in science, but we need the ability to reason and a fundamental belief in progress.鈥�

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