French police fired tear gas on the Canadian-inspired “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators on Feb. 12 protesting at the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris against COVID-19 restrictions imposed on the capital. Police had already stopped 500 vehicles at three checkpoints early Saturday in Paris. By mid-morning, almost 300 tickets were handed out. The situation turned tense, with “scuffles” breaking out around lunchtime, according to local media. The Freedom Convoy vehicles had blocked the Place de l’Etoile around the Arc de Triomphe by 4 p.m., with large crowds gathered on the streets. Riot police were attempting to disperse the people with “repeated firing of tear gas,” the journalist said in a Feb. 12 tweet. Canada’s anti-mandate Freedom Convoy protests have paralyzed certain regions of Ottawa since late January and also blocked crucial crossing points on the U.S.-Canada border. The protests currently happening in France are against rules that mandate vaccine passes to enter public …