“We have eighteen months ahead of us to harass and clean up [Paris]- and this will be the legacy of the Olympic Games,”
— Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior
After the opening ceremony in Paris for the Summer Olympic Games of 2024, the press largely applauded it as “spectacular” and “sprawling”.1 From allusions to its revolutionary past to expressions of Paris’ cosmopolitan identity, the ceremony was rich in symbolism and extravagance. To be sure, these Summer Olympics assert France’s considerable soft power. But at what cost?
Thousands of homeless people and undocumented immigrants have been removed from Paris in what has deemed to be "social cleansing” by Le revers de la médaille (The other side of the medal), an organisation coordinating more than 100 NGOs and charities.
Context:
Olympic Games:
In 2017, Paris won its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, the preparations needed to host them were long and costly (albeit less than other recent Summer Olympics)2. This involved 60 construction sites in Paris and its wider metropolitan area.3 The Seine needed to be cleaned4 to host swimming competitions and volunteers were required.
Homelessness in France and Paris:
Being homeless in France is already an arduous existence. The group Les Morts de la Rue (Those Dead on the Streets) found that on average, 2 people die per day from homelessness. In addition, a survey done in January 2021 found that 42% of homeless people in France were “in poor health”.5
In Paris, there are around 3,462 people living on the streets. This represents a 16% increase since 2023.6 There is simply not enough space in shelters or emergency housing to accommodate everyone. As of January 2023, there were up to 800 unfulfilled requests for emergency housing a day.7 Most of these requests were made by families, some with pregnant mothers.
Le revers de la médaille argues that:
“ [There is] “social cleansing” underway against the most disadvantaged populations (people living on the streets, in precarious housing or dependent on public space to live and work), which is largely linked to the organisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games” (page 6 of their report)
By “social cleansing” the organisation means:
“ the harassment, expulsion and invisibilisation of populations categorised by the public authorities as undesirable from the venues where the Olympic Games will be held”
Indeed, there are several squats and encampments near Olympic venues, and the French government has had to remove homeless populations to prepare those areas for the event.
How do authorities enact this social cleansing? Let’s break down their main modus operandi:
Step 1: Raid & Eviction
Typically in the early hours of the morning, French policemen will surround the squat or encampment. Occupants are often unable to leave the premises, and sometimes face police brutality.8 This includes verbal and physical assault, as well as the destruction of personal belongings.910 Only a quarter of these operations are done with a prior evaluation of the inhabitants’ living conditions, contrary to the law. Even more concerning, only half of the inhabitants are aware of an eviction procedure, highlighting even more how these evictions are done illegally.11
From 2023 to 2024, 138 of these operations were recorded, leading to the eviction of 12,545 people. This is a 40% increase compared to the 2021-2022 period. Almost 10% of these evictions had no legal basis.12
Dismantling these improvised living spaces also entails the destruction of lives and communities. In more permanent squats, people who would otherwise be on the streets find a relatively safe place to live. For many homeless immigrants, it’s a chance to find people from their community and be less isolated. Activist Thomas Astrup, interviewed by the New York Times, describes squats as “places rich in diversity and community life,”. Squats are also a setting which allow non-profits to operate and give much needed aid.13
These evictions thus deprive already isolated individuals of social ties. The fragile network built between homeless communities and charities is shattered. Furthermore, people have gone missing after the destruction of their living spaces. At least one person has died as a result of law enforcement confiscating their tent and belongings.14
Step 2: Removal & Potential Deportation
After their living space is dismantled, people rarely find suitable housing options. To begin, in two thirds of evictions, no housing is proposed at all.15 Another figure stands out: between February and May 2024, 828 minors found themselves evicted without being subsequently housed by the government.16
When they are offered housing, the homeless face a dilemma: get on a bus or likely face further homelessness.17 In April 2023, 10 shelters, known as SAS régionaux, were opened in various French regions. They are specifically meant to offload the pressure on homeless shelters in Paris.18 This might seem like an ideal solution for both the homeless and the French government. The truth, however, leads one to conclude otherwise.
In this supposedly voluntary program, homeless people are sometimes pressured to be bused out of Paris. Some even have a job in Paris, and leaving means losing it. Additionally, the stay in these shelters is limited to three weeks, meaning 60% of people staying there become homeless again.19
These temporary shelters thus remove homeless people from the streets in Paris only to put them back on the streets elsewhere in France. New squats and new homeless encampments then see the light of day.
Moreover, the French government weaponises these temporary shelters to screen immigrants for asylum and then potentially deport them.20 Many immigrants are unaware of this upon entering the program. What is portrayed as a solution to homelessness is effectively used as a solution to immigration. The French government’s contempt for the homeless and immigrants is obvious, and alarming.
Step 3: Denial, denial, denial
French officials have denied that efforts aimed at getting the homeless out of the Parisian streets are linked to the Olympic Games. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games of France, categorically refuted the claim.21
Nonetheless, the New York Times obtained an email written by a government housing official stating that the goal was to “identify people on the street in sites near Olympic venues” and move them.22 The goal is clear: to remove the homeless from the public eye, and present a “sanitised” city.
In a final move, squats are either demolished or locked up. Hostile architecture is also put in place to prevent homeless people from sleeping there.23 The photos below timestamp the appearance of large rocks where a homeless encampment was previously evicted (see video above in step 1). In addition to removing the homeless, the government takes measures to ensure their removal.
Other notable aspects of social cleansing in Paris include:
The repeated harassment of sex workers by law enforcement.24
An eviction specifically aimed at the Romani people. 25
A (now rescinded) prefectoral decree banning the distribution of food to the homeless in Paris’ 10th and 19th arrondissements. 26
An Olympian Tradition
This is not the worse occurence of social cleansing in preparation for the Olympic Games. Between 1988 and 2008, the Olympic Games have evicted over 2 million people.27 During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, thousands of “vagrants” were detained in camps in inhumane conditions.28 Some were raped or beaten to death.29
Conclusion
In implementing social cleansing, the French government makes several things obvious. First, its hypocrisy is evident. Despite endemic and worsening homelessness in Paris, authorities have only paid attention to this issue when it benefits them to do so. With millions of eyes turned on the City of Light, officials seek to present a prosperous city, asepticized of all social woes. Second, its eviction process is illegal and immoral. These operations are not done with the homeless’ well being in mind, but with the intention of erasing them from the eyes of the public. In truth, the problem is only transferred elsewhere, for other people to deal with. The most desperate in society are left to claw their way out alone. The Olympian motto goes: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”. It really should be “Faster, Higher, Stronger - As Long as You’re Not Homeless”.
Sources:
https://www.liberation.fr/international/spectaculaire-tentaculaire-axee-sur-la-diversite-la-presse-etrangere-eblouie-par-la-ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024-20240727_I7C5A452ZJCURI5UC2VT6N66EM/
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/25/why-the-paris-olympics-cost-so-much-little.html#:~:text=Spending%20at%20the%202024%20Paris,an%20S%26P%20Global%20Ratings%20report.
https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/services-conseils/jo-2024-comment-paris-prepare-levenement-sportif-du-siecle-1980021
https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/sciences/enquete-jeux-olympiques-2024-paris-a-tente-par-tous-les-moyens-de-nettoyer-la-seine-y-est-elle-arrivee
https://lereversdelamedaille.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-year-of-social-cleansing-le-revers-de-la-medaille-Disclaimer-AI-generated-translation-from-the-French-version-may-not-be-accurate.pdf [p. 20]
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https://lereversdelamedaille.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-year-of-social-cleansing-le-revers-de-la-medaille-Disclaimer-AI-generated-translation-from-the-French-version-may-not-be-accurate.pdf [p. 21]
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https://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/publication/enquete-aupres-des-jeunes-en-procedure-de-reconnaissance-de-minorite-a-paris/
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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/world/europe/france-paris-immigration-homeless-olympics.html
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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/world/europe/france-is-busing-homeless-immigrants-out-of-paris-before-the-olympics.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/world/europe/france-is-busing-homeless-immigrants-out-of-paris-before-the-olympics.html
Youtube: Title: "NETTOYAGE SOCIAL" DES JO : L'ÉTAT FRANÇAIS CHASSE LES SANS-ABRIS, LES TDS, ETC - Channel: BLAST, le souffle de l’info - Upload date: May 9th, 2024 - Timestamp: 15min30s
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https://www.bondyblog.fr/societe/jeux-olympiques-les-travailleuses-du-sexe-victimes-du-nettoyage-social-de-paris/
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Youtube: Title: "NETTOYAGE SOCIAL" DES JO : L'ÉTAT FRANÇAIS CHASSE LES SANS-ABRIS, LES TDS, ETC - Channel: BLAST, le souffle de l’info - Upload date: May 9th, 2024 - Timestamp: 8min55s
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https://newrepublic.com/article/136167/heinous-olympification-seoul
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