France: Hundreds of migrants camp in front of the Council of State to warn of their situation

Audio 01:09

Hundreds of young migrants camped in front of the Council of State in Paris, December 2, 2022. AFP - JULIE SEBADELHA

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

It has now been two days since these young migrants left their camp in the Val-de-Marne to set up their tents in the heart of the French capital.

They hope to draw attention to their situation.

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On one side the Louvre, on the other the Council of State, and in the middle about 150 tents.

Each is shared by two or even three young migrants.

Among them, Mana.

This young Cameroonian is going through an ordeal: “

It's hell on Earth.

You're in bed and the sheets are wet, you feel the ice in your veins.

There are not enough words to express what I feel, the situation is very difficult.

»

He and the other migrants ask for accommodation.

Putting up their tents in the heart of Paris is a way of gaining visibility.

"

Now we have decided to go out so that we can be seen

," says Mana.

Young people in need of food and facing the winter cold

Around the camp, tourists take selfies with the Louvre, but others are intrigued by the tents.

Some come to see Alice Bertrand, who is part of the Utopia 56 association, to better understand.

She calls for action quickly: “

With the cold coming, the lack of food, many young people no longer eat, no longer speak and are beginning to have dark thoughts.

We decided to settle here illegally to ask for immediate accommodation.

»

Most young migrants are awaiting a court decision, and hope to be recognized as unaccompanied minors.

Paris 3°C, 350 teenagers ignored by @Prefet75_IDF will spend their second night facing the @Conseil_Etat Almost



6 months outside for some.


This silence is intolerable, their distress even more so.

pic.twitter.com/lX2O6SMc5h

— Utopia 56 (@Utopia_56) December 3, 2022

To read also:

between expulsions and integration, France praises the search for "balance" on the immigration file

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