Waving Canadian flags, French 'freedom convoy' gets underway

A French activist holds a Canadian flag before the start of their "Convoi de la liberte" (The Freedom Convoy), a vehicular convoy protest converging on Paris to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine and restrictions in Nice, France, February 9, 2022. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

NICE, France (Reuters) - Protesters gathered in southern France on Wednesday for what they say will be a "freedom convoy" that will converge on Paris and Brussels to demand an end to COVID-19 restrictions, inspired by protesters who have blocked a Canadian border crossing.

About 200 protesters assembled in a parking lot in Nice, on France's Mediterranean coast, with many displaying Canadian flags in a nod to the truckers in Canada who are protesting their government's COVID-19 restrictions.