These plots of unoccupied agricultural land, wedged between a rugby pitch and the brand new fire station of Saint-Laurent-du-Var (Alpes-Maritimes), are nothing more than a huge open dump, halfway between the slum and the scrap metal dump.
And for good reason: more than two years ago, a dozen Roma of Romanian origin had taken up residence there and developed a scrap metal business, without ever having made the slightest request or obtained the slightest authorization.
At the end of a procedure started more than a year ago and coordinated by both the municipality and the sub-prefecture of Grasse, the squatters were dislodged at the beginning of the week after an eviction notice ordered on September 29 .
This Wednesday morning, the two camps were demolished using a mechanical shovel, in the presence of the police, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Joseph Segura and the sub-prefects Patricia Valma and Jean-Claude Geney.
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“It was time for us to intervene. A feeling of unease had been created at the level of the population with a deep incomprehension not to see the camps demolished sooner. But it is a procedure that takes time, especially since we are here on private land, ”
commented Joseph Segura.
“We are in a country of law, of law for everyone.
There are social policies in France to support the most unlucky”
The question now arises of the costs generated by the demolition of the camps, the evacuation of the waste and the depollution of the site.
Since it is private land, the note, which according to estimates should exceed 100,000 euros, technically goes to the owners;
even though criminal proceedings have been opened for the pollution of the site.
“Anyway, these
people
(
note the squatters) are insolvent.
So who are the owners going to give the bill to?
We arrive at the end of a system where we must tell them '' it's like that ''
, pointed out the city councilor.
And Me Michel Zonino, the owners' lawyer, to deplore that his clients are "
elderly people who do not have
important resources.
»
Read alsoShould a landlord wait until the squatter is relocated to recover his accommodation?
On this point, the sub-prefect Patricia Valma wanted to be reassuring, emphasizing the help of the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), from which the owners of the ransacked land should benefit, without detail the terms of this aid.
As regards the Roma who occupied the site until recently, some of them have been taken in charge and should benefit from assistance with housing, professional integration or education, partly financed by credits given on a European scale.
“Occupying private land in this way is unjustifiable,
for his part recalled the sub-prefect Jean-Claude Geney.
We are in a country of law, of law for everyone.
There are social policies in France to support the most unlucky.