If you live in Monaco, you usually have enough financial background to dine in a restaurant of your choice whenever you want. My friend Astrid, who likes to eat lunch at the Marché de la Condamine, can’t even cook. Accordingly, the gastronomy is popular not only with tourists, but also with the residents themselves. And then came the introduction of the health pass on 23 August.
Since then, everyone – whether Monegasque, resident, employee or tourist – is required to show a valid health pass when dining in a restaurant within Monaco.
Respectful and peaceful messages are the hallmark of NoPassMonaco supporters
An indirect compulsory vaccination? That’s exactly what the group NoPassMonaco thinks, which has already been joined by more than 5,000 people since the founding of their facebook group on 28 July. Through peaceful demonstrations, they are calling for the abolition of measures that create economic, social or freedom-depriving pressure to be vaccinated. “Whether vaccinated or not, we are all affected. We are fighting for our rights and freedoms,” one can read in the official newsletter. One thing is important to understand: NoPassMonaco is not against vaccination – but for being able to freely choose to do so.
After discussions with government officials such as Minister of State Pierre Dartout, they have at least achieved that Monegasques, residents, workers, students and even tourists (with hotel proof) can access the outdoor terraces of restaurants, hotels, bars and casinos without showing their health passport.
But as long as a distinction is made between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, they want to continue and even more so prevent the introduction of a generally applicable health pass.
Demonstration against health pass in Monaco from 04.09.21
Just yesterday, a large number of people responded to their call and gathered peacefully at 2pm on the Place des Moulins to demonstrate together in red and white clothing, the colours of the home flag, and with masks on their faces (as required by the rules).
Without any fanaticism or messages of violence, they held out for hours in the sun to stand up for their goals peacefully. This once again confirmed the high level of Monaco, whose inhabitants have mastered the rules of decency even when demonstrating – both in their appearance and in the way they express themselves.