In the night from Saturday to Sunday, around 300 immigrants and homeless people entered an abandoned building in the town of Gentilly, to settle there. This Sunday, September 4 afternoon, all were evacuated by the police, some received in nearby gymnasiums.
“Citizen requisition”
The 8,000 square meter building, disused, was watched by a guard who was unable to prevent migrants from entering. The United Migrants association which supported these refugeesindicates that they performed a “citizen requisition” from this place “doomed to destruction”, stating that these people had “already exhausted the temporary housing solutions”.
In order to avoid sleeping on the street for the umpteenth time with all the dangers and difficulties that entails, they have decided to occupy this place.
In the afternoon, the police arrived on the spot and first stopped the entrances then asked the people installed to leave, which they initially refused. The Val-de-Marne prefecture indicates that a hundred of them gathered in the hall “while around forty took refuge on the roof terrace”. All migrants have finally evacuated in the afternoonthree gymnasiums in Gentilly, Arcueil and Cachan have been requisitioned to accommodate the most vulnerable.
Three United Migrants officials arrested
According to the prefecture, damage was committed when entering the premises. Three United Migrants officials have been arrested and placed in police custody for “degradation in meeting” ; they came out this Sunday evening around 8:30 p.m.
In a press release, the prefecture explains that “the constitution of this squat was illegal” and that, moreover, the building was not conducive to receiving homeless people, due in particular to the lack of electricity.