In the North, 1,000 migrants evacuated from a camp: "Everyone was happy to come out of this slum"

REACTION

On Tuesday morning, about 1,000 migrants were evacuated from a settlement in Grande-Synthe, in the north. According to the report of a bailiff produced by the town hall in August before the Administrative Court of Lille, 170 people were at the beginning of August inside a gymnasium and 800 others in about 550 tents.

Great Synthe.
After evacuation from the migrant camp, the dismantling began. pic.twitter.com/YtYfI7nrpO

"I think everyone was happy to come out of this slum, this camp was anything but the image of France," defends at the microphone of Europe 1 the prefect of the North, Michel Lalande. "We were probably much closer to a suburb of Iraqi Kurdistan than to the idea that we have French territories, so yes, we had to put an end to this camp," he says.

"Individual coaching" for migrants

This "shelter", carried out with "a lot of conviction", in the words of the prefect, follows an order of the Administrative Court of Lille of 4 September, seized in summary by the town hall. In particular, the justice system reported "serious problems of public safety" and "sanitation".

What will happen to these migrants now that the camp has been evacuated? They must be routed to different accommodation centers, mainly in the Hauts-de-France region, in which they "will be offered individual support", said the prefecture in a statement. The prefect said that these people will be taken "to reception centers that are located north of the Loire, to avoid distances too long".

Evacuation of the Grande Synthe migrant camp. The first buses transfer migrants to reception centers. pic.twitter.com/txC6ORPpQU

Then, "they will be offered French law: the possibility to ask for asylum, a review of their situation, or to return to their country.Those who want to return to their country will be able to benefit from help for voluntary return."