Devendra Kumar
As the 100-day mark to the start of the Paris Olympic Games approaches, a dawn operation by French police has begun clearing the streets of the city, removing dozens of migrants from the forecourt of Paris City Hall. The migrants, mostly women and children aged three months to 10 years, had been sleeping beneath the ornate facade of the Paris monument for days, weeks, and some even for months. Aid workers claim that this move is part of a broader effort by Paris authorities to clear out migrants and others sleeping in the rough in the capital before the summer Olympics without providing longer-term housing options.
The migrants, who come from French-speaking African countries such as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Senegal, had been struggling to find shelter and food in the city. Aid groups, such as Utopia 56, had been distributing food, blankets, and diapers, and helping some migrants find temporary lodging for a night or two. However, despite these efforts, many migrants had been forced to sleep on the streets, with families like Fatoumata, a mother of two from Guinea, spending a month on the streets with her children.
Yann Manzi, a member of Utopia 56, claims that the move is a form of social cleansing aimed at erasing the city’s homeless population before the Olympics. He argues that the authorities are not providing adequate solutions for those in need and that the migration crisis is being used as a pretext to clear the streets. “They’re clearing the way for the Olympic Games,” Manzi said. “What is happening is nothing short of social cleansing of the city.”
The migrants were taken to temporary local government housing in the town of Besançon in eastern France, where they will be housed for the time being. While some migrants like Fatoumata were hopeful that life will be better outside the capital, others were left unsure of their future plans. The relocation of the migrants highlights the contradictions between the city’s efforts to portray itself as a haven for refugees and its treatment of those same individuals. While the authorities claim to be working with aid groups to find solutions for those in need, the reality on the ground suggests a more piecemeal and improvisational approach, leaving many migrants without a clear plan for their future.
As the city prepares to host the Paris Games, the removal of migrants raises questions about the true nature of the city’s welcome to refugees. The contrasting visions of the authorities and aid workers leave the long-term prospects of the migrants in limbo, fueling concerns about the city’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for those seeking refuge. The city’s decision to clear the streets of migrants before the Olympics raises doubts about its ability to balance its Olympic ambitions with its humanitarian responsibilities.