Hundreds of migrants occupy an empty building in Gentilly

From 300 to 400 immigrants and homeless people occupy an empty building in Gentilly (Val-de-Marne), in the Paris suburbs, and several dozen of them have taken refuge on the roof to avoid their expulsion from the place, learned Agence France-Presse (AFP), Sunday September 4, with associations.

These migrants entered around midnight, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, in this empty building of 8,000 square meters ‘doomed to destruction’which is the subject of“a citizen requisition”detailed the association United Migrants in a press release.

⚠️ Need help Since last night 400 people have occupied an empty building in #Gentilly, accompanied by United Migr… https://t.co/e3MIrefs0P

– VillejuifFI (@Villejuif Insoumise)

One of the leaders of the operation in custody

The forces of order, arrived on the spot, “stopped the entrances and then invited people to leave the premises, which they refused”reported to AFP the police headquarters, stating that the head of the association had been arrested.

Asked by AFP, the Créteil prosecutor’s office declared that one of those responsible for the operation was in police custody for “degradation in meeting”. “He is a well-known activist in the police services for many actions of this type in disused premises unsuitable for habitation”according to a source familiar with the matter.

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“These 400 people are homeless. They have already exhausted temporary housing solutions (…). In order to avoid sleeping on the street for the umpteenth time with all the dangers and difficulties that entails, they have decided to occupy this place.argued the association. The inhabitants undertake to maintain the cleanliness of the premises and to ensure a calm occupation with respect for the neighborhood. »

“The constitution of this squat is illegal and is not suitable for housing people in view of the state of the building and the lack of electricity”underlined for its part the police headquarters, specifying that a hundred women and children were on the spot.

These migrants are mainly exiles from Africa (Sudanese, Chadians, Ivorians, etc.) or Afghanistan, including several families. Sunday morning, “about 300 people [étaient] always on site »whose “About forty people entrenched on the roof to avoid being evicted”added Madeleine Barataud, an associative activist present on the spot.

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The World with AFP