Paris Authorities evacuate migrant camp ahead of Olympic Ceremony
In a decisive move, Paris authorities evacuated a temporary migrant camp in front of a city hall on Thursday, just a day before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
This action followed three days of protests by hundreds of migrants and homeless Parisians.
Among the displaced was Natacha Louise Gbetie, a 36-year-old migrant from Burkina Faso, and her one-year-old son.
Gbetie, a former accountant, emigrated to Montpellier in southern France with her family five years ago.
Expressing her frustration, she stated, “We have children who are French by birth. Who thinks about them?”
The evacuation sparked protests against the authorities for dismantling homeless encampments.
Christophe Noël Du Payrat, chief of staff for the Île-de-France regional government surrounding Paris, defended the government’s actions, stating they are “very determined” to support migrants and could not “understand” the criticisms.
During the operation, migrants and homeless individuals were escorted onto buses by armed police who secured the area, temporarily preventing anyone, including volunteers, from leaving.
Nathan Lequeux, an organizer with the activist group Utopia 56, condemned the operation, describing it as “social cleansing” by French authorities.
Source: Africanews.com
