French Police Begin Evacuation of Refugee Camps on Paris Outskirts
French police have begun evacuating refugee camps on the outskirts of Paris, one day after the government announced its new immigration policies. According to reports from news media, police removed 1,600 people from tents during this operation.
French police forces launched the evacuation of illegal camps on the outskirts of Paris on Thursday, November 7. One camp was located in the north of the French capital, and another in the “Saint-Denis” area on the outskirts of Paris.
According to news reports, police officers removed more than 1,600 people who were living in poor conditions in illegal tents from their shelters.
France Info network reported that homeless people and refugees have been transported by buses to large sports halls. These halls are being used as emergency accommodation facilities.
Dominique Versini, deputy mayor of Paris, said in this regard that hundreds of refugees hid themselves before the operation began because they did not want to be transferred to official accommodation. It is reported that 15 to 20 percent of those living in these camps are those whose refugee requests have been approved, but who cannot find housing.
This is the fifty-ninth French police operation to evacuate illegal camps since 2015.
After the evacuation and demolition of a camp in Calais in 2016, many refugees moved to Paris. For this reason, the number of illegal camps on the northern outskirts of the French capital has increased in recent years. Thousands of people live in these camps.
Paris police have repeatedly conducted evacuations of these camps, but shortly afterward, refugees have set up their tents in another location, thus creating a new camp. Most of those living in these camps are men, though some are women and children.
On Wednesday, November 6, Christophe Castaner, France’s interior minister, announced that all illegal camps will be evacuated and dismantled by the end of this year. The French government also stated that it would adopt stricter measures regarding its immigration policies.
Source: DW
