As the Olympics tournament has started in Paris, there have been several incidents which have threatened the security and have a huge impact on the foreign teams who came from abroad. One such instance was with the Argentina vs Morocco game in which the Moroccan migrants came onto the field and started threatening the Argentina players which led to the game being stopped for almost two hours. Later, this was also complained by the Argentina team and star players like Lionel Messi.
Secondly, another incident took place in the Paris Olympics in which the group of African migrants who came to Paris raped the Australian woman who came to see the Paris Olympics in Paris. This disturbed the Australian women’s team who had come to participate in the Paris Olympics in Paris. They also questioned the threat to them in Paris and also requested the Paris management to increase their security to keep them safe in Paris.
Therefore due to these incidents the Paris government have taken a huge step as Paris clears the migrants and homeless during the Paris Olympics. Therefore Paris clears migrants and homeless on Thursday. These migrants were put into the bus which was surrounded by the armed police.
Government-Funded Relocation
As Paris clears migrants and homeless, the French government funded the buses. They took these largely African migrants to the outskirts of Paris. There, they were placed in temporary shelters until the end of the Olympics. Some were grateful for a roof over their heads. Many were uncertain about their future. “It’s like poker. I don’t know where I will go or how long I will stay,” said Nikki. She is a 47-year-old homeless Parisian. She preferred to keep her last name private.
Nathan Lequeux from the activist group Utopia 56 remarked, “They want to clean the city for the Olympic Games. For the tourists. Treatment of migrants has become worse. Since the Olympics, this policy of chasing people off the streets has become more aggressive.”
Official Response to Criticism
Christophe Noël Du Payrat is chief of staff for the regional government of Île-de-France. He denied these accusations. He stated that the government has been relocating migrants for years. “We are taking care of them,” he said. “We don’t understand the criticism because we are very determined to offer places for these people.”
Dozens of police gathered migrants. They blocked them from walking on the streets and put up caution tape. Questions arose about the need for such heavy police presence for a group mostly made up of families. Noël Du Payrat explained that it was to maintain “peace and calm.”
The buses arrived on Thursday after three days of protests. Hundreds of migrants and homeless people protested. They had slept in front of a local government office while athletes and tourists flooded into Paris. The protesters demanded better access to temporary housing. They condemned the authorities for breaking up homeless camps.
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Personal Stories of Displacement
One protester who was Natacha Louise Gbetie is a 36-year-old migrant from Burkina Faso. She carried her 1-year-old son on her back. She moved to Montpellier five years ago with family members. Later she relocated to Paris after facing an abusive situation. Gbetie managed to make a living as a babysitter while staying in public housing. However when the Olympics approached the access to social housing was cut and the hostel prices increased. She expressed frustration at the lack of job opportunities for undocumented immigrants like her.
“I think France is tired of migrants. They want us to leave,” Gbetie said.
Concerns About the Future
As Paris clears migrants and homeless the protest group eventually agreed that families would be taken to a province near Paris. They would stay together in shelters. However the leaders expressed concern that this move would isolate migrants. They questioned the fate of the city’s homeless.
Gbetie also worried about her son’s future. Despite being born in France, he was among those overlooked. “We have children who are French,” she said. “They will be the future engineers and executives of this country. Think of them first. For now, forget about the Olympics.”
Counter Protests and Public Outcry
At Place de la République, a popular protest site in central Paris, various associations gathered for a “Counter Opening Ceremony.” It was on the eve of the grand event on the Seine River. Migrants criticized the costs of the Games. They accused authorities of using the event as an excuse for social cleansing. They said removing migrants and homeless people was to present a perfect image of the city.
Paul Alauzy from Revers de la Médaille noted that authorities had recently put up a cement wall under a subway line where people slept. This was to stop them from returning. In Aubervilliers concrete blocks with spikes were placed to deter people from staying.
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