1,400 migrants are evicted from Paris's biggest makeshift camp
More than 1,400 migrants are evicted from Paris’s biggest makeshift camp as riot police and bulldozers move in
- 600 single men and 240 families had been living in the ramshackled shanty town at Porte d’Aubervilliers
- They were ferried out of the area in a fleet of coaches that took them to 17 so-called ‘reception centres’
- The mainly Afghan, Eritrean and Libyan residents of the camp were forced out, before bulldozers moved in to destroy makeshift huts and tents
French riot police today forced more than 1400 migrants out of an illegal camp in Paris which was then destroyed.
Some 600 single men and 240 families, including many hoping to get to Britain, had been living in the shanty town at Porte d’Aubervilliers.
The camp was on the city’s ring road and close to the Gare du Nord Eurostar hub where high speed trains travel to London, and others go to the Channel ports in northern France.
French police inspect tents during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, this morning
A heavy duty machine disperse a large migrant camp as refugees are evacuated in Paris, France on January 28, 2020
A bulldozer destroys what’s left of the migrants’ temporary homes after an evacuation of their camp near to Paris this morning
Police officers stand guard as refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France this morning
Two young refugee children are escorted by police officers after the evacuation of a large migrant camp on the outskirts of Paris this morning
All of those moved on were ferried out of the area in a fleet of coaches that took them to 17 so-called ‘reception centres’, mainly converted gymnasiums.
There they will be given temporary accommodation for a few nights before trying to claim asylum in France, or else being deported.
Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, was present at the ‘evacuation’, which started soon after dawn.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo walk with police forces evacuating migrants early morning on January 28, 2020, in Paris. Between 900 and 1800 people were living in the makeshift town
A woman lugging her belongings on her back is escorted by police officers as she is evacuated from a large migrant camp on the outskirts of Paris this morning
The crowd of refugees can be seen as they are escorted to buses this morning after they were evacuated from a large migrant camp on the outskirts of Paris
As dawn breaks this morning, members of the evacuation team can be seen inspecting the tents left behind by refugees at the large migrant camp in northern Paris
A general view shows an empty migrant camp during its evacuation near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
A migrant carrying his belongings leaves during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
The mainly Afghan, Eritrean and Libyan residents of the camp were forced out, before bulldozers moved in to destroy makeshift huts and tents.
All of those involved cooperated with the CRS riot police, and there was no resistance or arrests.
Since the closure of a huge migrant camp in Calais in 2016, many refugees have moved to Paris. Authorities have repeatedly dismantled illegal campsites only to see them pop up again in different areas a few months later.
A group of migrants carry their belongings in supermarket holdalls, slinging their sleeping bags over their shoulders, after a makeshift camp in northern Paris was evacuated this morning
A migrant can be seen leaving the makeshift camp in northern Paris after the evacuation this morning
A migrant carries his belonging after this morning’s evacuation in northern Paris
The camp, which lines a main road in northern Paris (pictured), has become a home for over 1000 refugees, mainly from Libya, Afghanistan and Eritrea
French police inspect tents to ensure no one is left behind during the evacuation and destruction of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France today
The Aubervilliers site sprung up just two months after police had carried out a similar operation at two huge migrant tent camps in nearby sites in northern Paris.
Referring to an area of the city which is continually filled with illegal camps, Ms Hidalgo said: ‘For us, the situation must now calm down in this district, which must be able to find a normal life.
‘This evacuation should also allow these refugees who have lived for months on the street to return to normal life and better integration.’
French police inspect tents during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Migrants sit near a fire during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Migrants carrying their belongings leave during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Didier Lallement, the Paris police prefect, said a zero-tolerance policy towards the camps was increasingly being enforced.
He said: ‘Unfortunately there are deportations, because people leave these places of shelter when they are not necessarily in a legal situation.’
The camps are surrounded by housing estates and other homes, where residents regularly complain about the health risks they pose.
A migrant carrying his belongings leaves during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
A migrant carrying his belongings leaves during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Migrants carrying their belongings leave during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020. The authorities of Paris began to disperse the migrant camp in the north of the city
Migrants wait to be evacuated by police forces early morning on January 28, 2020, in Paris. – Between 900 and 1800 people were living in this area
Refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020. The authorities of Paris began to disperse the migrant camp in the north of the city
Police officers stand guard as refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020
‘The lives of the people who live around here must really change,’ said Mr Lallement, who confirmed that 1,436 people had been removed from the Porte d’Aubervillers camp by 9am on Tuesday.
Some 70 drug addicts who were not migrants had also been living in the camp, and they were given medical care.
Mr Lallement said the sight of hundreds of homeless migrants living on the streets of Paris had to end: ‘Parisians are waiting for it,’ he said.
A view of a migrant camp as refugees are evacuated in Paris, France on January 28, 2020
Migrants stands next to their tents during the evacuation of a makeshift camp set up near the La Porte d’Aubervilliers in Paris, France, January 28, 2020
Police officers stand guard as refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020. The authorities of Paris began to disperse the migrant camp in the north of the city
Refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020. The authorities of Paris began to disperse the migrant camp in the north of the city
Police officers stand guard as refugees are evacuated from a large migrant camp in Paris, France on January 28, 2020. The authorities of Paris began to disperse the migrant camp in the north of the city.
In November, France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced far tougher measures against people travelling illegally through France.
He said camps would be shut, and that it would be harder for migrants to access non-urgent healthcare in the country.
Many in France believe that migrants are urgently trying to get to the UK before Brexit makes getting into Britain harder.
Opinion polls show that illegal immigration remains a big concern for many French voters, propping up support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is likely to be President Emmanuel Macron’s main opponent in the next election in 2002.
Source: Read Full Article