Paris police clear 1,500 migrants from makeshift camp
Police in Paris cleared out yet another makeshift migrant camp on Friday morning, with some 1,500 refugees including many women and children to be moved out to various locations in the suburbs.
The latest clear out began at around 7am on Friday morning near the Metro stations Stalingrad and Jaures in the 10th and 19th arrondissements of the French capital.
The site has seen regular unofficial camps spring up in recent months with migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan taking advantage of the shelter offered by the overhead Metro Line.
Most slept on mattresses or in tents handed out by local charitable associations.
France has received only a tiny proportion of the million-plus migrants who have crossed into Europe in the last 18 months, with many refugees seeing it mainly as a transit country to other destinations.
But authorities have struggled to accommodate them.
(AFP)
Police have regularly carried out operations to move the migrants out - the previous one taking place just a month ago - and the latest saw some 50 buses laid on to take the refugees to various locations around the capital where temporary accommodation will be offered.
Emmanuelle Cosse, France’s housing minister was on the scene to witness the evacuation.
“There are many families with children, much more than normal, they will obviously be taken care of,” she said.
The main question authorities are asked is where will the migrants end up?
Many of those who land in Paris are bound for the port of Calais on the Channel coast, where they hope to stow away on a truck crossing to Britain.
Most will be taken to buildings that have been commandeered by local authorities to be transformed into temporary accommodation, like sports halls.
More details of where the migrants will be housed is set to be released on Friday morning.
Earlier this week it emerged that the government plans to open special asylum centres across France for some 12,000 to relieve the pressure on Calais and Paris, where most congregate.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced last week that the city will open its first refugee camp in mid-October in a bid to take thousands of people off the streets.
Comments
See Also
The latest clear out began at around 7am on Friday morning near the Metro stations Stalingrad and Jaures in the 10th and 19th arrondissements of the French capital.
The site has seen regular unofficial camps spring up in recent months with migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan taking advantage of the shelter offered by the overhead Metro Line.
Most slept on mattresses or in tents handed out by local charitable associations.
France has received only a tiny proportion of the million-plus migrants who have crossed into Europe in the last 18 months, with many refugees seeing it mainly as a transit country to other destinations.
But authorities have struggled to accommodate them.
(AFP)
Police have regularly carried out operations to move the migrants out - the previous one taking place just a month ago - and the latest saw some 50 buses laid on to take the refugees to various locations around the capital where temporary accommodation will be offered.
Emmanuelle Cosse, France’s housing minister was on the scene to witness the evacuation.
“There are many families with children, much more than normal, they will obviously be taken care of,” she said.
The main question authorities are asked is where will the migrants end up?
Many of those who land in Paris are bound for the port of Calais on the Channel coast, where they hope to stow away on a truck crossing to Britain.
Most will be taken to buildings that have been commandeered by local authorities to be transformed into temporary accommodation, like sports halls.
More details of where the migrants will be housed is set to be released on Friday morning.
Earlier this week it emerged that the government plans to open special asylum centres across France for some 12,000 to relieve the pressure on Calais and Paris, where most congregate.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced last week that the city will open its first refugee camp in mid-October in a bid to take thousands of people off the streets.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.