Thread: Thousands march in Paris

Millions didn't attend.

Does this sound familier?

Since then, four demonstrations have been waged in support of the squatters. On Saturday, protesters marched behind a banner that read: "Housing, residency papers and schooling immediately!"

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/...mmigration.php


Thousands march in Paris to support Africans evicted from squat

The Associated Press

Published: September 9, 2006


PARIS Several thousand people, including politicians on France's left, marched through Paris on Saturday to support hundreds of African immigrants who were evicted from a squat outside Paris last month.

Riot police stormed France's largest squat on Aug. 17, stoking nationwide debate about the conservative government's tougher new policies to discourage illegal immigration. Many of the squatters were illegals.


Marchers included actors Emmanuelle Beart and Charles Berling; former Culture Minister Jack Lang and former Environment Minister Dominique Voynet; and anti-globalization activist Jose Bove. Many of those evicted also marched.

Organizers said 15,000 people took part, while police put the figure at 3,500. It was the largest demonstration against the eviction so far.

Authorities say the evacuation of the building was ordered largely out of fear of fires like those that swept through dilapidated housing in Paris last year. Those blazes killed about 50 people, mostly African immigrants.

But the police operation angered many opponents of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has promised to send home at least 25,000 illegals this year, up from about 20,000 in 2005. His critics say the eviction on safety grounds was a pretext for rounding up illegals.

Riot police forced out more than 500 people from the building, an abandoned university dormitory in the suburb of Cachan. Dozens of illegal immigrants were put in detention centers. Several hundred are still staying in a cramped gymnasium nearby and have refused several offers for other lodgings.

PARIS Several thousand people, including politicians on France's left, marched through Paris on Saturday to support hundreds of African immigrants who were evicted from a squat outside Paris last month.

Riot police stormed France's largest squat on Aug. 17, stoking nationwide debate about the conservative government's tougher new policies to discourage illegal immigration. Many of the squatters were illegals.

Since then, four demonstrations have been waged in support of the squatters. On Saturday, protesters marched behind a banner that read: "Housing, residency papers and schooling immediately!"

Marchers included actors Emmanuelle Beart and Charles Berling; former Culture Minister Jack Lang and former Environment Minister Dominique Voynet; and anti-globalization activist Jose Bove. Many of those evicted also marched.

Organizers said 15,000 people took part, while police put the figure at 3,500. It was the largest demonstration against the eviction so far.

Authorities say the evacuation of the building was ordered largely out of fear of fires like those that swept through dilapidated housing in Paris last year. Those blazes killed about 50 people, mostly African immigrants.

But the police operation angered many opponents of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has promised to send home at least 25,000 illegals this year, up from about 20,000 in 2005. His critics say the eviction on safety grounds was a pretext for rounding up illegals.

Riot police forced out more than 500 people from the building, an abandoned university dormitory in the suburb of Cachan. Dozens of illegal immigrants were put in detention centers. Several hundred are still staying in a cramped gymnasium nearby and have refused several offers for other lodgings.

This is what happens when immigration policies are not followed or enforced. In Europe they do not put up with crap for long and are not afraid to riot and protest for their rights. They do not believe in being politically correct.