Protest at French embassy in Warsaw against evictions and police brutality
Solidarity | 17.08.2010 02:10 | Anti-racism | Migration | Social Struggles
Polish activists and migrants subvertise a bilboard and hold protest outside french embassy in warsaw over police brutality, evictions and racism in France
Sorry for late posting! This actually happened last Monday, but, better late than never
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Polish Activists and African Migrants Protest 'Racist' French Eviction Policy and Police Brutality
Monday August 9th
At 12:00 Midday today, Polish activists and African migrants living in Poland held a solidarity protest at the French Embassy in Warsaw.
In the early hours of the morning, a billboard outside the embassy was 'subvertised' with images from the violent eviction of families in La Courneuve, Paris.
The protest has been organised in response to the French government's violent eviction of African migrants in the Paris suburb of La Courneuve on July 21st.
Over 200 people, including 45 children were violently evicted from their squatted housing estate. Most had been living in France for the past three to ten years.
Footage captured by mobile phone showed riot police dragging pregnant women and babies along the ground. (Film can be viewed here)
http://www.droitaulogement.org/
Most of the migrants are from the Ivory Coast, a former French colony blighted by a civil war which since 2002 has displaced 800,000 people. [1] Nearly half of the population live below the poverty line [2] and one in ten children suffer from severe malnutrition. [3] Unemployment could be as high as 50% [4]
The French government also plans to expel thousands of sans papiers Roma from the country and to shut down hundreds of informal camps. The plan will also affect 400,000 French Travellers living in vans and camps in the country.
French Travellers are already subject to discriminatory requirements to report periodically to the police and to be registered with a municipality for three years before acquiring the right to vote. [5]
The protesters delivered the demands of the affected communities to Embassy authorities. These are:
1) Provide homes for the 190 adults and 45 children who were violently evicted on July 21st
2) Accord full legal status to those among the evicted who are undocumented
3) Sanctions against the officers and commissioner of the police who authorised this eviction
4) An end to institutional discrimination and evictions of Roma and Traveller communities and full compliance with international human rights laws which protect all communities, including French and non French citizens.
References
[1] World Food Programme 2010
[2] UNICEF 2008 48.9%
[3] Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin), April 2010
[4] CIA World Fact Book June 2010
[5] Amnesty International July 23rd 2010 'French President Urged Not to Stigmatise French and Roma Travellers'
xx
Polish Activists and African Migrants Protest 'Racist' French Eviction Policy and Police Brutality
Monday August 9th
At 12:00 Midday today, Polish activists and African migrants living in Poland held a solidarity protest at the French Embassy in Warsaw.
In the early hours of the morning, a billboard outside the embassy was 'subvertised' with images from the violent eviction of families in La Courneuve, Paris.
The protest has been organised in response to the French government's violent eviction of African migrants in the Paris suburb of La Courneuve on July 21st.
Over 200 people, including 45 children were violently evicted from their squatted housing estate. Most had been living in France for the past three to ten years.
Footage captured by mobile phone showed riot police dragging pregnant women and babies along the ground. (Film can be viewed here)
http://www.droitaulogement.org/ Most of the migrants are from the Ivory Coast, a former French colony blighted by a civil war which since 2002 has displaced 800,000 people. [1] Nearly half of the population live below the poverty line [2] and one in ten children suffer from severe malnutrition. [3] Unemployment could be as high as 50% [4]
The French government also plans to expel thousands of sans papiers Roma from the country and to shut down hundreds of informal camps. The plan will also affect 400,000 French Travellers living in vans and camps in the country.
French Travellers are already subject to discriminatory requirements to report periodically to the police and to be registered with a municipality for three years before acquiring the right to vote. [5]
The protesters delivered the demands of the affected communities to Embassy authorities. These are:
1) Provide homes for the 190 adults and 45 children who were violently evicted on July 21st
2) Accord full legal status to those among the evicted who are undocumented
3) Sanctions against the officers and commissioner of the police who authorised this eviction
4) An end to institutional discrimination and evictions of Roma and Traveller communities and full compliance with international human rights laws which protect all communities, including French and non French citizens.
References
[1] World Food Programme 2010
[2] UNICEF 2008 48.9%
[3] Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin), April 2010
[4] CIA World Fact Book June 2010
[5] Amnesty International July 23rd 2010 'French President Urged Not to Stigmatise French and Roma Travellers'
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