French police violently dismantled a makeshift migrant camp within the heart of Paris overnight, clashing with migrants and activists.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted that a number of the scenes were “shocking”, and ordered the police to supply a full report on their actions.
Dozens of small tents were faraway from Place de la République, with occupants sometimes being tipped out by police.
The homeless migrants say they’re forced to measure on the streets.
Volunteers had joined the migrants and, linking arms, the gang – several hundred strong – chanted “papers for all, accommodation for all!” when police moved in.
Police later used tear gas and chased people through the streets, beating up some with batons.
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The new camp appeared every week after police had dismantled a much bigger , illegal migrant campsite near the French national stadium in northern Paris.
“They are too violent,” lamented Shahbuddin, a 34-year-old Afghan, quoted by AFP press agency . “We just need a roof.”
Ian Brossart, a Paris hall official overseeing housing, condemned the “law and order response to a social situation”.
President Emmanuel Macron has adopted a troublesome policy towards irregular migrants, many of whom see their final destination because the UK, via Calais.
The huge surge in migration from the Mediterranean in 2015, fuelled by the Syrian war and other conflicts, has declined, but many asylum seekers still sleep in precarious conditions in Europe, homeless and unemployed.
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