Paris’ Olympic promise falls short for unhoused people
Nonprofits and local officials say the 2024 Games event is failing a pledge to be ‘first ever inclusive and socially responsible’ event of its kind.
French authorities are ridding the capital of “everything that doesn’t fit into the ‘Emily in Paris’ postcard” ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games, human rights groups are warning.
At around 6 a.m. on Tuesday across from Paris’ iconic city hall, about 80 unhoused asylum seekers were evacuated by the French police from one of the many makeshift camps set up around the French capital. The scene took place just a few steps from the River Seine — where the opening ceremony of the Summer Games will take place in late July.
The camp’s residents were offered alternative solutions and temporary shelter, but with a downside: relocating to the city of Angers, more than 160 miles away from Paris.
Most of the dwellers had tried and failed to receive recognition as undocumented minors upon arriving in France, and now face ongoing legal proceedings that would be further complicated by any relocation, on-site nonprofit representatives told reporters.
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