Illustration of a police car.

-

C. Allain / 20 Minutes

Several dozen people were evacuated Monday from a large squat in the Euromedecine district in Montpellier (Hérault).

According to the Hérault prefecture, "90 people occupied the premises, the vast majority of them male", of which 10 "in an irregular situation were taken care of by the border police".

The Bouisson Bertrand Institute squat evacuated by the police in Montpellier, 200 asylum seekers in the streethttps: //t.co/hRN0dAM2IH

- France Bleu Herault (@bleuherault) August 31, 2020

“The services of the national police, the DDCS (Departmental Directorate of Social Cohesion) and the Hérault firefighters have been mobilized to organize the evacuation of the premises and take care of any families with children and people vulnerable, specifies the prefecture of Hérault, in a press release.

It appears from the evacuation carried out that the squat was mostly occupied by single men.

The two families listed were offered an accommodation solution and an assessment of their administrative and social situation.

"

"We denounce this expulsion"

This former vaccination center had been occupied since the beginning of 2019 by 100 to 200 migrants after a “citizen requisition” by the Solidarité Partagée association.

"The place of emergency reception that we organize and where we lodge 250 refugees permanently in Montpellier, has just been expelled without any solution of rehousing", denounced the association, calling for a rally in front of the prefecture.

Associations highlight the difficulty of finding accommodation in Montpellier, where demographic and real estate pressure is particularly intense, and the dangers of putting dozens of people back on the streets in times of pandemic.

"No lasting solution is envisaged for people who find themselves on the street," indicates a group of associations, as well as Muriel Ressiguier (FI), MP for Hérault, in a press release.

It was suggested to call 115 which has no space available (…) Four to eight hotel spaces should be offered.

We denounce this expulsion.

"

Press release: #Expulsion from the Bouisson Bertrand squat: 200 people on the streets in the midst of the upsurge of Covid-19!

pic.twitter.com/uCOXVRAUMp

- Muriel Ressiguier (@MRessiguier) August 31, 2020

An ordinance of February 27, 2019 had granted a period of six months to the occupants to leave from the date of notification to vacate the premises, August 28, 2019. According to the prefecture, the occupation of the place "blocked" the owner, the 'Institut Bouisson Bertrand, a foundation of the faculty of medicine "in carrying out work on a place of accommodation for the families of the sick, and day hospitalization".

Miscellaneous

Caen: The biggest squat in the city evacuated, 160 people taken care of by the authorities

Society

Gap: A squat of migrants evacuated by the police

  • Languedoc-Roussillon

  • Squat

  • Refugees

  • Montpellier

  • Migrants