Around 200 homeless migrants and their families staged a protest outside Paris City Hall, demanding that they be provided with housing. The rally, organised by the left association Utopia56, began the previous evening and continued on Thursday.
One of the participants expressed the opinion that there should be equality for all in France. She noted that many of the protesters have been living in Paris for ten years and work, but continue to sleep in car parks or the metro.
“This is freedom and equality. People without homes, without documents or with documents, children or not, single or pregnant women have the right to housing,” she said.
The French government says that at this stage it can do nothing and points to the lack of available places in Paris and the regions. However, at the end of last week, the prefecture said that there were no shortcomings in the emergency accommodation system for refugees in the Île-de-France region.
On Thursday, a new agreement between the UK and France came into force aimed at preventing illegal crossings of the English Channel in small boats. This is another step in the fight against criminal schemes that organise dangerous sea routes to the UK.
Now, those who reach the UK by boat can be detained immediately upon arrival and returned to France. The first deportations are expected to begin in the coming days. Under the “one in one out” principle, for each person returned, another who has not previously attempted to cross the border illegally may be accepted, provided they are successfully identified, their safety is ensured and they pass all checks.
The agreement is the result of talks between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron less than a month ago. Last week, the text of the agreement was signed by British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and French Interior Minister Bruno Rétailleau.
This step was supported by the European Commission, Germany and other EU countries. France has stepped up its efforts: a special unit called Compagnie de Marche has been set up, coastal patrols have been stepped up, and an intelligence and judicial police unit has been opened in Dunkirk to speed up the arrest of those organising the crossings.
Coastal patrol rules were revised to make it easier to stop boats.
If you’re in France and want to get to the UK legally, there’s now a new online application form called Expression of Interest. Applicants need to prove who they are and where they’re from, and go through a strict background check to make sure they’re eligible.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented on the conclusion of the migrant deal:
“Today, the Franco-British immigration agreement comes into force: illegal migrants will be returned to France, only “legitimate” asylum seekers or persons with family ties will be allowed into the UK. France is suffering from the failures of European migration policy, while London is protecting its borders. Another blow to our sovereignty!”
