One hurt in French nightclub shooting over Covid pass

Two men have been arrested over the incident that left a clubgoer needing hospital treatment

The clubgoer injured in the incident sustained gunshot wounds to his knee. Reuters

Two men who were refused entry to a French nightclub for producing a fake Covid-19 health pass have been arrested in connection with a shooting at the venue that left one clubgoer injured, prosecutors said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Thursday night in the outskirts of the eastern town of Montbeliard.

“It has been confirmed that one of the men tried to present a health pass that did not match his identity,” the public prosecutor for the area, Ariane Combarel, told AFP.

The pair left the scene only to return a short while later in a car, from where several shots were fired in the direction of the club, she said.

A man who was enjoying a night out at the club sustained gunshot wounds to the knee, according to regional media.

Ms Combarel said he required surgery and will not be able to return to work for six weeks.

Since July, people in France have been required to present a Covid-19 pass in order to enter public venues, such as restaurants, nightclubs, gyms and cinemas.

The pass – available in paper form or as a QR code on a smartphone – proves the person has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, recently tested negative for Covid-19 or already had the virus and recovered.

Announced by President Emmanuel Macron in July, it prompted millions of people to get inoculated, giving France one of the world's highest vaccination rates.

But the pass has also drawn controversy, with thousands of people attending weekly protests in cities across France against what they call the establishment of "a health dictatorship".

A number of people have attempted to circumvent the rules by buying fake Covid passes on social media or using one belonging to a friend in the hope that they are not asked to produce ID.