As the 2024 Paris Olympics begins, French authorities have cleared hundreds of migrants and homeless individuals from the city, facing criticism for what some see as “social cleansing” in preparation for the Games.
On Thursday, armed police surrounded and removed people sleeping on Paris’s streets, forcing them onto buses.
These buses, funded by the French government, transported the mostly African migrants to temporary accommodations on the city’s outskirts, where they will remain until at least the end of the Olympics.
While some were grateful for the temporary shelter, many are uncertain about their future once the global attention shifts away from Paris.
“It’s like playing poker. I don’t know where I’ll go or how long I’ll stay,” said Nikki, a 47-year-old homeless Parisian who requested anonymity.
In the months leading up to the Olympics, French authorities have dismantled numerous migrant and homeless encampments. The Games are a crucial event for President Emmanuel Macron amid ongoing political challenges.
The Olympics have also sparked criticism from Parisians who are unhappy with increased public transit fees and government spending on projects like cleaning the Seine River for swimming, rather than investing in social services.
Authorities have faced sharp rebukes for relocating migrants from central Paris to less visible areas, a practice some activist groups liken to “social cleansing,” similar to measures seen in past Olympic host cities such as Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“They want to clean the city for the Olympics and the tourists,” said Nathan Lequeux, an organizer with the activist group Utopia 56. “As the treatment of migrants becomes more severe, people are being pushed off the streets. Since the Olympics began, this aggressive policy has intensified.”
Christophe Noël Du Payrat, chief of staff for the Île-de-France regional government, rejected these claims, asserting that the government has been relocating migrants for years and remains committed to providing for them.
“We are taking care of them,” he said, expressing confusion over the criticism and emphasizing their commitment to offering support.
As dozens of police officers corralled migrants and set up barriers, Noël Du Payrat explained that the presence of armed officers was necessary to maintain “peace and calm.”
The evacuations followed three days of protests by hundreds of migrants and homeless individuals, including Nikki, who had camped out in front of a local government office as the city filled with athletes and tourists.
Protesters voiced their frustration with the dismantling of homeless encampments and demanded better access to temporary housing.
Among the protesters was Natacha Louise Gbetie, a 36-year-old migrant from Burkina Faso, who carried her 1-year-old son on her back. Gbetie, who previously worked as an accountant in Burkina Faso, moved to Montpellier with her family five years ago.
After facing difficulties, she relocated to Paris but struggled with reduced access to social housing and rising hostel prices in the run-up to the Olympics. She has faced challenges in finding employment due to her immigration status and felt increasingly marginalized by the growing influence of anti-immigrant sentiments in France.
“I think France is saturated. They’re tired of migrants and want us to leave,” Gbetie said.
Despite an agreement to move families to shelters in a province near Paris, protest leaders are concerned that this relocation could further isolate migrants and remain uncertain about the long-term outcomes for the city’s homeless population.
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