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European march of sans-papiers from Brussels to Paris

duende / joeri | 12.06.2004 15:36 | Migration

More than 80 "sans-papiers" from France walk from Brussels (headquarters of the European Union in Belgium) to Matignon (the residence of the French Prime Minister in Paris) to protest against the policies of Fortress Europe and to inform the people they meet on their way about the situation of sans-papiers in Europe.

Members of French collectives of sans-papiers (people without
a residence and working permit) decided to organise a march from Brussels
to Paris to make their demands [fr] heard. On
31 May, they started their march in Brussels by a demo (photos 1 | 2 | 3). In the
evening, they held a meeting to share their experiences with the local people
and to discuss the possibilities of starting a common struggle of all the
sans-papiers in Europe. The next day, a delegation was received at the European
Parliament. During the meeting, the rest of the group gathered in a nearby
park (photos).


On 2 June, the march went to Liège. The sans-papiers
made a demo towards the detention center of Vottem, that one of the participant
compared to Guantanamo (photos 1 | 2 | 3 &
video). In
the evening, a public meeting was organised. The next day, they met sans-papiers
from Liège in a Red Cross Center, then went on to Gent (photos 1 | 2 & video
| 3).
They left Gent on the 4th of June to go to Kortrijk (photos 1 | 2).


After Kortrijk, the march went on in the direction of France.
On their way, the sans-papiers made a halt in Mouscron, where the local mayor
welcomed them. Then they went on in direction of the border. As crossing
a border is a always a risky operation for "illegals", many members of a
local union section were waiting for them in Belgium to cross the border with
them. In France, the sans-papiers first went to Tourcoing, then joined a
demo in Lille against the plan of the French governement to reform social
security. They continued their demo in direction of the "Bourse du travail",
where hundreds of sans-papiers are currently in a hunger strike (photos of
the day 1 | 2).

This hunger strike [fr]
is the 13th of sans-papiers in Lille. It began on the 12th of May because
the French authorities don't respect the promises they made last summer [fr] at
the end of a previous (57 days long) hunger strike. The French authorities
had then promised that they would reconsider the possibility of granting most
sans-papiers the right to stay on an individual basis.

The hunger strikers also demand that all sans papiers would be granted the
right to stay and work in Europe, and to live a decent life here. Currently,
the French authorities refuse to negociate with the hunger strikers and claim
that they are manipulated, what the hunger strikers explicitely deny. The
sans-papiers of Lille declare that they began a hunger strike because they
had no other choice and that the authorities just try to silence them.


Last week, the police raided a hospital [fr]
where the hunger strikers had been invited by the local authorities for a
medical examination. 132 people were arrested and some of them were sent to
a detention center. There is also a clear will of the police to intimidate
people who support the sans-papiers' action. For instance, police officers
conspicuously collect license plate numbers around the "Bourse du travail"
and make identity controls on every possible occasion. The sans-papiers are
outraged by what is happening and declare that it only makes them more resolute.
(More in French on Indymedia Lille)


After having expressed its support to the hunger strikers
in Lille, the European march of sans-papiers went on through France (6 June
: Lens - 7 June : Arras - 8 June : Amiens - 9 June : Creil - 10 June : Argenteuil
- 11 June : Saint Denis - 12 June : Paris). The march ends up today in Paris
with a demonstration. More info in French on Indymedia Paris.

duende / joeri