PARIS (AP) — French police evicted migrants from a makeshift tent-camp next to Paris City Hall early on Tuesday, the latest clear-out of people without homes that aid groups allege is a campaign to beautify the French capital ahead of the Summer Olympics.
In an operation that began before dawn, police woke around 100 teenage boys and young men from West Africa, telling them to pack their tents and belongings.
Paris police said the operation was carried out for security reasons, notably because the camp was near schools.
Paris-region officials told the men — many of them minors and in the process of seeking residency papers — that they could be housed temporarily for three weeks in the Loire-region town of Angers if they wished. A bus was waiting in a nearby street to take them first to a Paris-region transit center.
Only two or three men boarded the bus. Most of the others walked away, carrying their belongings. Some said they feared being left isolated and abandoned in Angers, 250 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of the French capital, once the three weeks of temporary accommodation run out.
National Television Awards 2024 nominations: Michelle Keegan and Leo Woodall go head
Glamorous Rosamund Pike sports a grungy ensemble and heavy winged eyeliner alongside Anya Taylor
Drama featuring cats in Forbidden City to tour nationwide
11 people related to Moscow terror attack detained
These hilarious notices will make you do a double take
Beijing half marathon results under investigation after runners appear to hand win to Chinese star
Chinese premier meets French FM in Beijing
Early voting for S. Korea's parliamentary elections kicks off
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Microsoft invests $1.5 billion in AI firm G42, overseen by UAE's national security adviser
Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova reveals she doesn't know if she's on the show's 2024 line
Man City vs. Real Madrid could hinge on the fitness of one player. Just ask Vinicius Jr.