Another night on the street
Welcome to SOCIAL CHAIN, a newsletter about important stories that deserve your attention and action—written by me, Daria.
What happened?
Paris police brutally evacuated the temporary migrant camp in the city center: 450 blue tents were installed Place de la Republique in protest of the last week dismantling camp in the north of Paris with more than 3 000 people. After authorities didn’t provide housing alternatives for almost half of them, leaving around 1 000 migrants on the street in the mid of the pandemic and the coming winter, NGOs and activists organized the temporary camp. The action created an outburst of police brutality against all participants, including journalists.
In the aftermath NGOs supporting the action announced the failure of human rights and loss of hope in the Republic values and law.
What is the story?
Housing and integrating an influx of migrants is a chronic problem in Paris and many other European cities. The police regularly clear out hundreds or even thousands of people from such camps.
However European countries deal with migrants very differently, and this difference is particularly visible in the long-term. Failure to adapt the process and offer alternative measures to follow up on pledges done by authorities lead to such catastrophic results.
French centralized process of reception of refugees has been condemned several times by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Due to long and complicated administrative procedures, more than 50% of all asylum seekers never become accommodated by the state. As
“In May 2020, the country had never had so many pending asylum applications: 165,000 people, including minors, according to figures from the interior ministry. The reception system has never been so important. There are now 100,000 accommodation places. Ten years ago, it was more like 40,000. However, statistically, only around 45% are accommodated by the state.,” said Gérard Sadik, who is in charge of asylum issues at La Cimade.
On the contrary, in Germany “when you apply for asylum, you are immediately accommodated”. A transparent system of distribution key allows a person to immediately after arrival at the registration center be directed to an accommodation place.
France starts with the administrative procedures, registration, and check-ups, before giving access to reception conditions.
“These are statistics that are rather difficult to get, but overall, Île-de-France receives around 42% of the country’s asylum seekers. But out of the 100,000 places currently spread across the territory, only 20 % of them are in Île-de-France. The system is therefore undersized.”
Despite the existing migrants’ situation being far from exemplary, French ministers and the president continue to claim solidarity with other countries and particularly Greece after the fire in the Moria camp and pledge to welcome more migrants on French soil.
“Over the past five years, I have seen in Paris what some people call the migrant crisis and what we call the reception crisis.
There is a continuous, infernal cycle of ‘encampment – dismantling – dispersal’. The people who arrive do not receive the care and protection they ought to be getting. They end up on the street with all the health problems and violence that come with it,” said Louis Barda, general coordinator of Médecins du Monde in Paris.
The story that happened this Monday in Paris is not particularly brutal or something refugees or NGO workers have never seen before. The difference that it makes comparing to any other is massive coverage by the media and grandiose public attention. Human suffering exposed in all its tragic reality. The reaction of “shocked” and “outraged” by police actions authorities, mayor of Paris Anna Hidalgo and others, who for long pretended to not notice what is happening just behind the window.
What to do?
Support and follow Solidarité Migrants Wilson - this association is working with migrants in the north of Paris directly hands in hands, helping them in dealing with authorities, police and supporting basic needs.
Or another association Les Midis du Mie working on the field in Paris with people awaiting asylum documents, follow them to know more and donate. These are real volunteers and activists that need our help.
Become a volunteer with Utopia 56 (an association that stands behind this camp night to attract attention and find a real solution for people living on the street).
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