“We expect actions, and more words”, denounced Friday on franceinfo Zohra Boukenouche, co-founder of the Collective of November 5, three years to the day after the collapse of three dilapidated buildings, rue d’Aubagne, in downtown Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône ), killing eight people.
The town hall has 40,000 unworthy dwellings, 800 buildings are subject to danger orders, and twenty structural works have been undertaken to secure these buildings in 2020. Zohra Boukenouche accuses the town hall of Marseille and the State of inaction. “The former Minister of Housing, Julien Denormandie, came two years ago to make the same promises to us” than those made by Emmanuel Macron in mid-October, believes Zohra Boukenouche. “We are still waiting.”
franceinfo: Three years later, have things changed on the subject of poor housing?
Zohra Boukenouche: Unfortunately no. There is a neglect of more than fifty years of the town hall of Marseille, which has done nothing on the subject of housing. There is also a state responsibility because the state has a prerogative over housing. The city was left to collapse, to destroy itself with sleep merchants. People who are increasingly in poor housing situations. Marseillais are not at ease, are afraid because they can say that something can happen to them.
The municipality has changed recently, going from right to left with the victory of Michèle Rubirola in 2020, since replaced by Benoît Payan. Didn’t that lead to a policy change?
We work a little better with the town hall. But his means are limited. The role of the town hall is to secure the buildings. As long as they are secure, the rest is not their concern. Families are told to go home [une fois qu’ils sont sécurisés], while housing has deteriorated. And then, 1,400 residents have still not returned home. Residents of collapsed buildings on rue d’Aubagne were quickly relocated. But we are still uncertain for many others. Will they be? And if so, when and under what conditions? Families are waiting for answers, and they take a long time to come from institutions. The town hall may be doing more communication, but we have no answer. The situation is psychologically unbearable.
Emmanuel Macron recently came to Marseille. He said he wanted to speed up the fight against substandard housing and the goal of rehabilitating 10,000 homes within 15 years. Do you think the state is taking the file?
The former Minister of Housing, Julien Denormandie, came two years ago to make the same promises to us. We are still waiting. We expect actions, and no longer words. Means so that we can work on poor housing, the sellers of sleep, justice. For us, these are big promises. Emmanuel Macron should play his role as President of the Republic and ensure that the city of Marseille lives in normal conditions.