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| • On a Paris-Bamako flight |
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| • France gave its word |
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| • Squatters |
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| • The fight of people with no documents |
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| On a Paris-Bamako flight |
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| The Air France Labour Unions have organized a demonstration in Paris to stop the deportation of foreigners on their airplanes.
A great many people have gathered. |
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Flight attendants and passengers are forced to witness scenes of extreme violence. Berfore their eyes, men and woman are humiliated physically and morally. |
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But there are courageous actions. In fact, I was presented to a woman who was on board of a Paris-Bamako flight. I had heard of her courage in facing the police.
Before the take-off, two people who were being expulsed and escorted by police dressed as civilians started to yell. They were immediately and violently surrounded. The police used pillows to prevent them from yelling. |
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| This aged woman did not support this violence. : « I am ashamed of being French. I have not paid my ticket to take part in such events! » As I was congratulating her on her reaction, she modestly replied : « I only did my duty as a citizen, I cannot support the sight of people despising other human beings. » |
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| This woman had to leave the plane and to stay at the airport under police custody for 24 hours. She was accused by the police of incited to a rebellion two foreigners that were being expelled. At her trial, the judge released her. The captain also intervened courageously by ordering the police to leave the plane with the expelled people. I also met him during the demonstration. He was wearing his captain’s uniform. He told me what he wanted to say. It was for him an honour and a right to respect human beings. |
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| France gave its word |
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| The lawyer of an Italian woman Marina Petrella invited me into her car for the trip. She insisted for an early departure so she would not be late at the trial in Versailles. |
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Marina, 53 years old, lives in France since 1993. Having a 10-year residence permit, delivered by the Prefecture of Paris, she has put all her energy to her job as a social worker and has built a family life with her oldest daughter and her spouse. She has given birth to another girl, now 10 years old. |
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| Marina is now incarcerated in jail in the Paris area and is threatened to be expelled to Italy. Some thirty years ago, in Italy, she was part of tens of thousands of young anti-capitalist activists who rebelled and even went to the use arms. Many of them are refugees in France where the President of the Republic had stated « the refusal of all political extradition ». This political asylum on the part of France was maintained without interruption for twenty years no matter the party in power. It was a de facto policy of the Republic. A policy that is now scorned. In the Courtroom, Marina came in escorted by the police. But her request for temporary release was denied. Her spouse with his handsome moustache as well as her eldest daughter were next to me. |
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Marina spoke a little too long in my opinion. Then her lawyer pleaded with conviction and emotion. But her request for temporary release was denied. The trial continues. If Marina is extradited to Italy, she risks confinement for life.
The families of Italian refugees trusted the word given by France. They have built their lives on the certainty that the given word would not be broken. Today their life is turned upside down because it will be their turn tomorrow. |
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| Squatters |
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The organization for the “Right of Housing” (DAL in French) asked me to rush to Aubervilliers, at the outskirts of Paris because the situation has hardened with the police force. Night and day, families, most of them from the Ivory Coast, take turn in a camp established in front of a comprehensive school, to ask for housing for all the squatters of the neighbourhood. |
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| Stopping everything I was doing, I took the subway to go toward these families having difficulties. I found an open-air dormitory. There were some 140 people and 80 tents! Women were sitting on blankets with their babies on their back. Many young children. The police were not far away. I cannot accustom myself to see families on the streets and I do not always understand why it takes so much time and effort, so many struggles to find a solution. The spokesman explained the situation to me that had been going on for two months. Families have squatted social housing owned by the city. The Mayor asked the Court for a judgment and ordered the expulsion of the squatters. |
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I listened at length to these women who are determined and very angry. They are not searching their words. « We have official documents. We have a job. We have a family, For years now we have been asking for housing. In vain. We will fight to the end. ». |
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| City hall says it cannot do anything. There are 3,800 requests for housing still pending! The Prefecture has taken up the issue. After many meetings, a solution for housing was found. |
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| The fight of people with no documents |
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For the last 5 months, 506 people who have been fighting for their dignity have been waiting to have their situation regularized. To get this result, they have chosen to occupy St. Paul church in Massy at the outskirts of Paris. These people are children, women and men who have arrived in France for different reasons, but who are well integrated to the French society. |
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| I remember this morning I had passed under the sun on the church’s square with the people with no official papers. They know how to live together in a simple manner and with joy. Everything is well organized. Each night, a group takes turns to sleep in the church. Come morning, everything is put in its place and cleaned. During these 5 months of fight, mobilization and meetings, all the 506 people got for an answer from the Prefecture was : 2 expulsions, the permanent postponement of their files, five arrests during demonstrations as they were returning to the camp. |
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The bishop has asked the people with no official documents to leave the church and has took action in the Court and the Prefecture to have them expelled from the church. The bailiffs have come to make a report on the squatters. The people with no official documents must appear before a Court. The fight continues.
« It is impossible to command the wind to blow but one can decide to open the window. » |
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