Most of the residents tried unsuccessfully to be recognized as undocumented minors when they arrived in France, and now face ongoing legal proceedings that would be further complicated by any relocation, representatives of associations on place.
Tuesday’s evacuation was part of a broader relocation program put in place by the French state in April 2023 and which is expected to extend until the end of 2024. Although this period coincides with the preparation of the Olympics, the French government categorically denied any causal link: “Given the saturation of accommodation in Île-de-France, not everyone can find a solution. And this is why, without any link with the Olympic Games, the government has implemented a decongestion policy,” Housing Minister Guillaume Kasbarian declared to French parliamentarians in March.
More than 80 French non-profit organizations working with the unhoused and undocumented population of Paris have come together in the so-called Reverses of the Medal collective, calling for the Paris 2024 Summer Games to leave “a social legacy positive” and denouncing the “ongoing social cleansing” in the run-up to the global event.
“We can give (the government) the benefit of the doubt, even if the timing is a little suspect,” said Antoine de Clerck, spokesperson for Le Revers de la Medal, about the events that will take place in the run-up to the Games.
“What is obvious is that the policy has changed,” de Clerck added. “Before, those who had no connection with the Paris region were offered relocation; those who were working or undergoing medical treatment were offered local solutions. Now the only choice is to move or stay on the streets.
On Tuesday, only two residents of the camp chose to settle in Angers; the others remained in Paris without immediate housing solutions.
Politico
