Protest grows bigger after president vows to ‘piss off’ the unvaxxed

Macron’s words may have backfired after huge crowds took to the streets of France promising to piss him off instead

At least 100,000 people took to the streets of France in protest against Covid-19 restrictions and mandates, after President Macron promised to make the lives of the unvaccinated increasingly hard until they accept the jab.

The huge crowds on Saturday were roughly four times larger than back on December 18, according to police estimates. The protesters opposed, among other things, a nearly implemented government plan to make proof of vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory to use public transport, eat at restaurants, and attend events.

France’s National Assembly passed a bill this week which, if approved by the Senate, would introduce so-called ‘vaccine passes’ to replace the existing ‘health passes’. Under the current rules, a negative PCR or antigen test gives access to a pass which is valid for 24 hours. A vaccine pass, however, would only be issued to those who have recently recovered or been fully vaccinated against Covid.

Même si Macron veut les emmerder, des manifestants anti-vax défilent à Paris.

Un cortège #GiletsJaunes ici, et des partisans de @f_philippot ailleurs dans la capitale protestent contre le #PassVaccinal. pic.twitter.com/Obnywhn7BS

— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) January 8, 2022

The crowd in Paris alone numbered at least 18,000, with protesters heard chanting “We’ll piss you off!” in reference to Macron’s controversial comments. Ten protesters were arrested and three police officers were reportedly injured in a scuffle in the capital. At least another two dozen people were reportedly detained at protests across other French cities.

Quelques uns des slogans avant le départ de la manif : «Lliberté, Liberté ! Vérité, Vérité ! Résistance, Résistance ». Et « Macron on t’emmerde ». #manifs8janvier pic.twitter.com/2t5BlK7KdK

— Pierre Bouvier (@pibzedog) January 8, 2022

During an interview with Le Parisien on Tuesday, Macron said, “I am not about pissing off the French people. But as for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off.”

C’est déjà plein à craquer et ça afflue de partout : #8janviertousdanslarue dépasse la manif du 17 juillet ! Et de loin !
Macron et ses propos orduriers vont être renvoyés aux poubelles de l’Histoire !
Vive la Liberté, la France libre ! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/JbNAgV1eSL

— Florian Philippot (@f_philippot) January 8, 2022

Macron revealed that continuing to “piss off” unvaccinated French people “to the end” is his “strategy,” and boasted that only a “small minority” was resisting government restrictions.


READ MORE: Macron vows to ‘piss off’ the unvaxxed into submission

“How do we reduce that minority? We reduce it – sorry for the expression – by pissing them off even more,” the French president said, explaining that the plan includes “putting pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting, as much as possible, their access to activities in social life.”

Alec Baldwin explains why he hasn’t handed over his phone yet

The Hollywood star says authorities ‘can’t just go through your phone’

Alec Baldwin has denied he’s refusing to comply with a search warrant for his phone amid a probe into the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, arguing authorities have to tell him what exactly they want from his device.

In a video posted to Instagram on Saturday, Baldwin said “any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone” is “bullsh**” and “a lie.”

A search warrant for Baldwin’s phone was issued in New Mexico last month after Hutchins was killed on the set of the Western movie ‘Rust’, which was being filmed in the state. The cinematographer was fatally shot and killed after a gun in Baldwin’s hand fired, even though the actor claims he never pulled the trigger. Despite the search warrant, authorities in New Mexico and New York are still working to recover Baldwin’s device in search for potential evidence.

“This is a process where one state makes the request of another state. Someone from another state can’t come to you and say, ‘Give me your phone, give me this, give me that.’ They can’t do that,” Baldwin claimed on Saturday. “They’ve got to go through the state you live in, that’s a process that takes time.”

Read more

Alec Baldwin ignores cell phone search warrant

Baldwin argued that authorities in New Mexico would “have to specify exactly what they want” as they “can’t just go through your phone and take your photos or your love letters to your wife.”

The Hollywood actor said once authorities had made a specific request, and once the request had been approved by authorities in New York, he would be “perfectly fine” with complying to the search.

In the video, Baldwin also lashed out at “right-wing rag sheets” and “people who are all about hate” for covering the investigation into the shooting, commenting that the “only way we can honor the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth.”

Baldwin said he wanted to make sure that authorities do “everything in their power to find out what really happened.”

Soldiers told to return used underwear

Norway’s military made it mandatory for recruits to return all clothing – including underwear, socks and bras

Norwegian soldiers have been ordered to return their military-issue underwear upon completion of service, as the country’s Armed Forces struggle with supply chain issues blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, soldiers were told to take good care of their underwear, bras and socks and return them upon leaving the Armed Forces so they could be washed and reissued to new recruits.

“The idea was that this would be a temporary solution until the summer of 2021,” NRK reported on Friday, noting that the scheme had originally been voluntary. However, the Armed Forces have now made it mandatory “for all soldiers to hand over all clothing and equipment upon graduation,” citing supply chain issues which have partially been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

A communications manager for the Armed Forces Logistics Organization, Hans Meisingset, admitted that they simply don’t have enough underwear in stock, though he insisted that the reused garments are being “washed, cleaned and checked” before they are given to the next recruit.

“What we distribute is in good condition,” the spokesman claimed, arguing that a pair of used underwear and socks is better than nothing at all.

Due to supply issues, some soldiers have reportedly been made to walk around in the cold wearing clothes that are covered in holes. The shortages have also led to the Armed Forces prioritizing certain soldiers for replacement kit, with those stationed in the north holding the most favor due to harsh weather conditions.

FAA identifies dozens of airports affected by 5G rollout

US cell phone carriers have agreed to keep their C-Band transmitters in 50 airports offline for another six months

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a list of US airports that will have 5G buffer zones around them following concerns that expansion of the network could interfere with aircraft safety systems.

Two of the country’s largest telecom firms, AT&T and Verizon, are struggling to roll out their “game changing” C-band 5G networks as they negotiate with government officials. The original date set for December had previously been postponed until January 5, and then for another two weeks. Now the FAA says the carriers have agreed to keep their 5G towers offline around dozens of airports for at least another six months.

Major cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami, and Dallas will include airports with the so-called buffer zones. Some airports have not been included either because they already have a natural buffer zone, or there are no plans to deploy the 5G tech in the immediate vicinity such as airports in Atlanta, Georgia and Denver, Colorado.

Read more

Tech giants alter 5G rollout plans

The concern among regulators is that the C-band 5G could potentially disrupt airplane instruments, like radio altimeters which provide information on the height aircrafts are above the ground, a safety system important for low visibility landings. 

Airline industry leaders have warned the 5G plan could cause thousands of disruptions to upcoming flights. Airlines for America, a lobbying firm previously predicted the 5G rollout could mean millions of individuals will see their flights delayed or canceled altogether. 

The FAA said they compiled their list of airports based on “traffic volume, the number of low-visibility days and geographic location.” The agency is also working on AMOC directive for airlines and manufacturers to “demonstrate alternative ways to mitigate an unsafe situation” and ensure the aircraft are equipped with altimeters that have “proven to be reliable and accurate in the high-powered 5G environment.”

Entire families die stranded in heavy snowstorm

Thousands of tourists were trapped on roads leading to a popular mountain resort in Pakistan

Nearly two dozen people, including families with children who were on their way to a Murree ski resort in Punjab, Pakistan, have frozen to death or suffocated in their cars after being trapped by unusually heavy snowstorm.

In the majority of cases the death was caused by hypothermia, while some of the victims may have suffered asphyxiation from car fumes, authorities said. The list of 22 victims released by rescue officials includes the names of 10 children. According to Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, “around a thousand cars” have been stranded on the highway leading to Murree since Friday night. Military personnel, police and rescue service teams were deployed to evacuate people from their vehicles with local residents providing help to the trapped tourists.

#Rescue1122 The real heroes #MurreeAlert pic.twitter.com/AKWWwFIKiU

— sajjad Abbasi (@sajjadAbbasi4) January 8, 2022

The helicopter rescue operation, however, had to be delayed due to severe weather conditions.

Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid says the military has mobilised to clear roads and rescue thousands still trapped near Murree after at least 21 died in vehicles trapped by snowstorm pic.twitter.com/U5DaM5CR0Z

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 8, 2022

Reacting to the tragedy, the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he was “shocked” and “upset,” adding that he had ordered an inquiry and put in place “strong regulation” to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that 16 to 19 people have died in the cars that have been stuck in Murree due to snowfall and subsequent traffic congestion, reported Aaj News on Saturday.

Read more: https://t.co/suruRr0CHG#Muree #Snowfall pic.twitter.com/vrtS9jHQEB

— Business Recorder (@brecordernews) January 8, 2022

“Unprecedented snowfall & rush of ppl proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

While he primarily blamed the weather and local authorities for their failure to prevent the tragedy, the prime minister’s choice of words has evoked a wave of criticism on social media with some users calling it “shocking” and “insensitive.”

Islamabad police continues operation to evacuate stranded tourists. Women, children and senior citizens are the first priority.#Murree pic.twitter.com/lFqYI8CjJN

— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) January 8, 2022

Though the tragedy shocked Pakistan, the Murree resort town, founded by the British during the colonial era, regularly sees its roads blocked due to snowfalls and the town’s popularity, with more than a million people visiting annually.