LA COURNEUVE, France (AP) – Police, working swiftly in the pouring rain, cleared out one of France’s biggest and oldest Roma camps on Thursday, dismantling a sprawling network of makeshift shelters that housed hundreds of people.
After the 2½-hour-long evacuation, some 50 people milled about on the streets of La Courneuve, despite official promises that no one would be left in the streets.
Hugues Besancenot, secretary general of the prefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis region northeast of Paris, said around 60 pregnant women, young children and disabled camp residents received vouchers for urgent housing. The others were given a homeless shelter hotline.
About 200 people had been living in the camp, which sprang up in 2009, he said. However, associations put the number at about 300, noting that not all are present year-round.
“They did nothing for us. They said there’s no place for me,” said Brindus Dan, who lived in the camp with his wife and three children, including a 6-month-old baby, for four years.