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| - A restaurant owner who flouted France's Covid restrictions by serving lunch to dozens of people was released from custody Thursday, although further protest action appeared likely as President Emmanuel Macron weighs a new virus lockdown. Christophe Wilson, 50, opened his "Poppies" brasserie in the Mediterranean city of Nice on Wednesday amid growing frustration over cafe and restaurant closures in place since October 30. Around 100 people dropped their face masks to enjoy a Provencal stew and other specialities, with some dancing while a band played on the terrasse. "When I see Carrefour or Prima and all these multinationals where hundreds of people are massed together, I can no longer accept it," he told a scrum of journalists during the opening, referring to major French shopping chains which are largely operating as normal. "I have to pay my employees, support my family and welcome my clients," he said. He issued a call to arms for fellow restaurant owners on the brink of failure since they were forced to close on October 30 as Covid-19 cases soared. "Someone needs to get everyone fired up, and if I have to be the one who takes that risk, so be it," Wilson said. The Nice-Matin newspaper reported that Wilson was released Thursday but would later be ordered to appear for a formal reprimand, a light punishment that does not go on a person's police record. His lunch garnered a wave of support on social media, with the hashtag #LiberezChristophe (Free Christophe) trending on Twitter as messages expressed anger at his treatment and the dire financial straits of restaurants. The government has said they will have to remain closed until at least mid-February in a bid to avert social gatherings that could worsen the pandemic. But several chefs and thousands of people have already backed a call by Stephane Turillon, a chef in eastern France, for restaurants to open across France on February 1. Franck Lacaille, a 35-year-old chef at a restaurant in nearby Draguignan, joined the "Poppies" lunch in a show of solidarity. "We came to support Christophe in his act of joyful disobedience," he said. "There's nothing violent about it, we just want to recover a sense of fraternity." Police officers watched the gathering but did not intervene until a few hours later, when Wilson was detained for questioning. The Nice public prosecutor later said one of Wilson's cooks had also been detained because he lacked proper residency papers. Authorities warned they were working to identify diners who took part in the lunch, and would issue fines. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday that a nationwide 6 pm curfew imposed two weeks ago and other measures had not been enough to halt a worrying increase in coronavirus cases. With schools still open, France has fewer restrictions than some European neighbours. But the government is keenly aware of growing fatigue among the public at the prospect of what would be a third lockdown. Health experts have warned that the spread of new virus variants could require France to impose a new lockdown, possibly including school closures. vxm-san/js/sjw/har
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