Migrants and Homeless being evicted from Paris for Olympics

Hundreds of homeless and migrants in Paris, mostly African, were driven out of the city on Thursday, surrounded by armed police. The group, carrying backpacks and small children, climbed onto buses and travelled to the city’s fringes, where they were paid for by the French government, and were placed in temporary accommodations until the end of the 2024 Olympics.

‘The Olympics’ an important moment for President Emmanuel

French authorities have been clearing out migrant and homeless encampments for months leading up to the Olympics, an important moment for President Emmanuel Macron during a time of political turmoil.

However, Parisians have complained about elevated public transit fees and government spending on cleaning up the Seine River instead of investing in social safety nets.

Activist groups and migrants have called the practice of busing camping migrants from the city center to the fringes of Paris, a form of “social cleansing.”

“They want us to leave their country.” claims the migrants

Following three days of protests by hundreds of French migrants and other homeless people who camped out in front of a local government office while sportsmen and tourists descended upon Paris, the buses arrived on Thursday. They protested against the government dismantling homeless camps and called for improved access to transitional accommodations.

The protest group agreed to transport families to a province near Paris and keep them together in shelters, but leaders expressed concerns about the isolation of migrants and the fate of the city’s homeless population.They claim that the government wants them out of the country.

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