Paris is once again at the center of controversy after installing dozens of concrete “Lego” blocks in the Saint-Denis canal “to prevent the settlement of immigrants” ahead of the 2024 Olympics. This action aligns with the French authorities’ controversial “social cleansing” efforts, which involve relocating homeless migrants out of the capital.
French independent journalist Luc Auffert reported this news and shared a video showing the imposing concrete blocks intended to deter illegal camps in the area. These measures were taken just before the Olympic flame passes through the zone.
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In recent days, local authorities have been removing illegal migrant camps from public spaces in Paris so they won’t be visible during the Olympics. Some of the displaced individuals stated that they were promised housing elsewhere but ended up on unfamiliar streets in distant towns or marked for potential deportation.
To prevent their return to the city, the French government installed large concrete blocks that hinder sleeping under bridges or setting up camps. The “Lego” shape of the blocks also makes resting on top of them difficult.
Social cleansing of immigrants in Paris ahead of the Olympics
In the past week, several humanitarian organizations accused French authorities of speeding up a “social cleansing” by evicting hundreds of homeless individuals, mostly migrants, from illegal camps in Paris ahead of the Olympics.
On Wednesday morning, police dismantled two migrant camps in the northern part of the city, where about 230 people were staying, according to the NGO Doctors of the World. They reported that such actions have been increasing as the start date of the Games, July 26, approaches.
On Tuesday, police dismantled another camp along the Ourcq canal in northeast Paris, where between 200 and 250 people were living, according to various associations.
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Authorities offered to relocate these individuals to a shelter outside the capital or to take a five-hour bus ride to Besançon in eastern France. “Most opted for the shelter,” stated Charlotte Kwantes, a spokesperson for Utopia 56, an organization helping migrants.
Over the past year, police and courts evicted about 5,000 people, mostly single men, according to Christophe Noël du Payrat, a senior official in the Paris government. Municipal employees encourage them to board buses headed to cities like Lyon or Marseille.
The heart of the Olympics is in Seine-Saint-Denis, where approximately one in three residents is a migrant, the highest percentage in the country. Consequently, the government has spent billions on redeveloping the area, including relocating homeless individuals and refurbishing the city, which involves placing concrete blocks to prevent illegal settlements.
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