on the street for a week, a migrant recounts his daily life
Migrants were expelled from a disused nursing home in Toulouse. On the street, they took over an abandoned college, before being forced to return to tents set up in front of the courthouse. Some still hope to obtain housing.
EHPAD des Tourelles, allées Jules Guesdes, Bellefontaine college… They have been moving from one end of Toulouse to the other for more than a week. Friday, August 26, nearly a hundred migrants were expelled from the EHPAD des Tourelles by the police. A decision taken by the prefecture of Haute-Garonne, while a court decision ordering their immediate departure had been rendered several months ago. On the street, the group, which has nearly a hundred people, the majority of whom are unaccompanied minors, has settled at the gates of the Toulouse courthouse, allées Jules Guesde.
On the initiative of collectives and associations which campaign for the respect of the rights of migrants, a disused college in the Mirail district, still in Toulouse, was taken over on Saturday 3 September. But after a few hours, people posing as locals told the migrants to leave. The police intervened and proceeded to evacuate the premises.
Back on the streets, migrants are back in downtown Toulouse. And they do not despair of finding accommodation with the help of the French authorities. Testimony.
One of them agreed to testify on condition of anonymity. He describes a situationreally difficult”. He is one of those who were expelled on Friday August 26 by the police from the site of the former EHPAD des Tourelles. “It doesn’t move. Since we were expelled, the situation is blocked“laments the young man.
Also forced to sleep on the street since the expulsion of August 26, he pitched his tent in front of the Toulouse courthouse, alleys Jules Guesdes. “Living on the streets like that is really difficult. We hope to find a roof, that the State comes to our aid. Let us be treated like all children. It is our wish.”
Before living on the ground in a tent, the EHPAD des Tourelles was a makeshift refuge for him. A basic place, yes, but where he could sleep warm and dry. “It was hard but we were good“, he confirms. “We had support from the Autonomy Collective or TEC 31. They gave us lessons. It was way better than being on the street”.
Today, he is preparing to spend another night on the street. “We are here, we are trying to be strong. We stay positive, but it’s really difficult“, hammers the young man. According to information from various migrant support groups, a large majority of campers on the Jules Guesde alley are still minors. About “96%” of them, owns the Toulouse collective Autonomie.
We are waiting for the authorities to do something.
Camille, activist from the Autonomie collective
Camille, a member of this collective, campaigns for the respect of the rights of migrants. This umpteenth expulsion decided by the authorities is a return to square one for some, a “terrible situation for these young people», for others, like Camille. “We expected it. We made sure the tents stayed”. As this activist recalls, “we try to find accommodation for young people who don’t have one. We are waiting for the authorities to do something.”
But the situation does not seem ready to change. In a press release dated September 3, the prefecture of Haute-Garonne explains that “un a number of foreign migrants who occupied the Jules Guesde alleys broke into a disused college in the Bellefontaine district at the start of the afternoon.“Following their installation in the disused premises,”clashes quickly broke out with residents of this neighborhood and the police had to intervene by using a tear gas canister to restore calm“, specifies the prefecture.
For the activists mobilized alongside migrants, the prefecture and the department of Haute-Garonne should act to find solutions for migrants who are still minors. Those who are not minors or not recognized as such are not taken care of by the authorities. However, “on accusing them all the time of lyingnotes Camille from the Autonomie collective.
For the time being, the associations remain mobilized to try to find accommodation for migrants as quickly as possible. On Saturday, the Haute-Garonne departmental council indicated that “President Georges Méric recalls the need to find a lasting solution to support these migrants”. In a statement, the departmentcalls for the full and complete mobilization of the actors in this file, which are the State and the town hall of Toulouse”.