After the evacuation by the police of the gathering at Place de la République, Monday evening in Paris, were dozens of migrants knowingly directed by the police beyond the ring road, on the Seine-Saint-Denis side ?
During the night, members of the Utopia association testified that they had accompanied evacuees and people on foot, under police escort, to the Porte d'Aubervilliers.
"The police told them
: We'll leave you alone if you don't come back to Paris, it
was very explicit, and as soon as the sign was crossed," testifies Mael de Marcellus, coordinator of the Parisian branch of Utopia.
We want to make the exiles invisible, to take them out of beautiful neighborhoods to send them to working-class areas… It is as dehumanizing as possible for those who have been the victims.
"
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Food distributions were then improvised in Aubervilliers, in the middle of the night.
Upon awakening this Tuesday morning, many residents and elected officials of the area discovered images shot at the gates of the capital.
1:04 am: The refugees escorted for nearly 45 minutes by a large police force are now outside Paris to end the night.
#Republic pic.twitter.com/omCitqKQUC
- Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) November 24, 2020
"I saw these videos where we see the police stopping in front of the 19M
(Editor's note: the future building of Chanel)
and it is an absolute scandal", notably released Karine Franclet, mayor (UDI) of Aubervilliers.
“I am revolted and scandalized, also reacts Mathieu Hanotin, president (PS) of the Plaine Commune territory and mayor of Saint-Denis.
To use the suburbs to push back problems is unacceptable.
As soon as they cross the border, do we no longer deal with them?
When there is a problem, we treat it, we don't use Seine-Saint-Denis to hide it… ”
A letter addressed to the Minister of the Interior
The councilor decided to question the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin by mail on this Tuesday afternoon.
Asked about the device, the police headquarters did not respond to our requests on Tuesday afternoon.
Two large-scale “sheltering” operations had been organized in recent months in this sector of Seine-Saint-Denis: July 29 in Aubervilliers, then just a week ago, November 17 in Saint -Denis.
Respectively the 65 and 66th evacuations in five years of camps which seem to settle still further from the capital, where the police presence is almost permanent.
On the Paris side, CRS companies seven days a week
“For eighteen months, several CRS companies have been present seven days a week, 24 hours a day, on all the gates of Paris where there were camps, observes Karine Franclet.
On the other hand, in our territories, it is our municipal police force, our national police force which must turn, to the detriment of everything else ... "
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"To obtain the presence of mobile force units on the sites of our territory, it is a daily battle", also testifies Mathieu Hanotin.
The mayor of Aubervilliers also says that she has asked the services of the Paris canals, owners of the quays of the Saint-Denis canal, for funding to prevent any resettlement by occupying public space.
“I was told:
There is no budget.
"
"A hunt for migrants", denounces Stéphane Troussel
The images of the evening and of the night also shocked the president (PS) of the departmental council of Seine-Saint-Denis, Stéphane Troussel: “What happened at Place de la République was a hunt for migrants. organized by the Prefect of Police and it is time for him to come to his senses.
The use of force has been disproportionate, outrageous, and dignity and humanity are not options in our country.
"
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Stéphane Troussel appealed to the government, deeming "unbearable" to see these evacuees returned to his department again.
“Migrants are not hot potatoes that we pass from one territory to another, and in particular towards Seine-Saint-Denis… They are women, men, sometimes children, in a situation vulnerability, with human rights.
"
Earlier in the day, the deputy (LFI) for Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen, Éric Coquerel, present at the gathering in the Place de la République, had called on the city of Paris to "open a reception center for migrants worthy of the name ”.
Paris already says it has already offered two to the State: the Porte de Versailles exhibition center (15th century) and the Champerret space (17th century).
