More than 200 homeless migrants ready to spend the night in front of Paris City Hall
The group, present since Tuesday evening and now composed of around 250 people according to the association, mainly includes single women with children and fathers, but no single men or unaccompanied minors. After spending their first night there, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags on the ground, the migrants, some of whom are legally resident in France, expressed their anger on Wednesday morning by shouting "We want housing! Zero children on the streets!" a journalist noted.
Throughout the year, Utopia 56 holds a standby every evening on the forecourt of Paris City Hall to try to find emergency accommodation for the most vulnerable people, who have been turned away from the usual shelters. In the summer, the situation "is particularly tense," the association denounces, citing several reasons: public services are slow, community volunteers are on vacation, and schools and gymnasiums are closed and therefore can no longer be used as a last resort.
The City of Paris has assured that it will continue to open "centers to shelter families in summer and winter." "In total, more than 1,000 people in state care are currently sheltered in converted municipal locations or gymnasiums, in addition to the care of more than 3,000 people in families," the city hall emphasized Tuesday evening, requesting "the state to take care of these people."
