Ahead of the Olympics... "France Evicts Thousands of Homeless People Outside Paris"

The French government is reportedly boarding thousands of homeless immigrants onto buses and expelling them from Paris ahead of the '2024 Paris Summer Olympics,' according to the New York Times (NYT) on the 10th (local time).

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to the report, Paris city officials are encouraging homeless people across the city to take buses bound for Lyon, Marseille, and other locations. Approximately 5,000 people were evicted from Paris last year alone, most of whom are single men, a senior Paris official explained.

In particular, officials are understood to have promised to provide housing support in other regions during this process. However, investigations revealed that most of these individuals ended up homeless again on unfamiliar streets far from Paris or faced the risk of deportation. The NYT reported, "The government promised housing in other areas, but following the buses revealed desperate situations."

However, the French administration under Emmanuel Macron maintains that these bus operations are unrelated to the Olympic Games. They describe it as a voluntary participation program aimed at alleviating the housing shortage in Paris. Nevertheless, the NYT has obtained an email from a government housing official stating, "The goal is to verify the identities of people on the streets near the stadium and relocate them to other areas before the Olympics." This email was first reported by local media.

Mohamed Ibrahim, from Chad in the Central African region, told the NYT, "I was expelled because of the Olympics." Having been evicted from an abandoned cement factory near the Olympic Village, he moved to an empty building in southern Paris. However, in April, police evicted residents from that building, forcing him to take a bus to a village on the outskirts of Orl?ans, two hours southwest. Umar Alamin, from the Central African Republic, who was on the same bus, said, "They randomly give out tickets. If it's a ticket to Orl?ans, you go to Orl?ans."

The northeastern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where the Olympic Village and new stadium facilities are located, is a poor suburban area with a high immigrant population?about one in three residents is an immigrant. The NYT reported that since last year, police, along with city officials, have increased raids on homeless camps and abandoned buildings in this area, expelling people to other regions. Youssef Ahmed, from Sudan, who works cleaning planes at Charles de Gaulle Airport, said, "They promised us housing and social assistance." Alamin added that when the police arrived and surrounded people, a forced atmosphere was created where they had no choice but to board the buses.

According to the NYT, those who board the buses arrive in new cities and then live in shelters for up to three weeks while undergoing asylum qualification assessments. Those who qualify for asylum may receive long-term housing during this process. However, the NYT reported that about 60% of people in temporary housing did not obtain long-term residences. Some received deportation orders. Lawyer Emmanuel Peire described this as a "prelude to deportation."

As a result, most people end up homeless again in new cities. Audrey Garino, deputy mayor of Marseille, questioned the NYT, "Is there money to bring homeless people from Paris but no money to find shelter for the homeless in Marseille?"

At the Orl?ans shelter visited by the NYT, there were no staff members present. Ahmed claimed, "(We were promised housing and social assistance and boarded the bus) but when we arrived, there was nothing. They lied to get us on the bus." Moreover, the local shelter demanded that they leave, stating they could not accommodate them. The NYT, having visited street camps, abandoned buildings, and emergency shelters in Paris and Orl?ans to meet homeless people for this report, concluded the article by stating, "They have become illegal squatters again."