France is revolting against Macron’s second lockdown

Second lockdowns are increasingly difficult for democratic governments to impose and maintain. Violent anti-lockdown demonstrations in Spain and Italy have hit the headlines recently. It was with considerable trepidation, then, that French political leaders ordered France’s second lockdown to begin at midnight last Thursday. It did not help that Macron like Boris had repeatedly said there wouldn’t be a second one. 

Ahead it went, to last officially until 1 December with a mid-term review around 14 November. In his TV address to the nation, president Macron foolhardily declared that lockdown would end when daily infections – running at 50,000 – were reduced to 5,000. The next morning, the head of France’s equivalent of SAGE, professor Delfraissy, witheringly declared that there was no way positive tests could be reduced to 5,000 by 1 December. A bad start. But France’s governing class were already extremely fearful of what a second confinement might provoke.