“For a long time, the suburbs were a banned place. Today, we are changing the paradigm thanks to the Games,” explains Karim Bouamrane, mayor of Saint-Ouen.

The Olympic flame will cross Seine-Saint-Denis on July 25 and 26 before returning to Paris.It’s a particle accelerator, on the social level, on the quality of housing, the number of shops (…) and there, for 15 days, it’s going to be a great party”rejoices Karim Bouamrane. Do the inhabitants feel concerned? “In Saint-Ouen, we received the Brazilian delegation. We saw shops bearing the image of Brazil, there was mixing, there was singing and there was a very strong feeling of pride”says the city councilor.

According to Karim Bouamrane, the Olympic Games are “a political weapon. For a long time, the suburbs were a banned place. Today, we are changing the paradigm thanks to the Games which were an accelerator”, he analyzes. “Saint-Ouen plays a driving role in Île-de-France to improve people’s lives, always”believes the socialist.