As part of what one local organization has dubbed “a social cleansing” in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, French police supervised the Wednesday evacuation of hundreds of migrants and homeless individuals from an abandoned building in a Paris neighborhood.
The first games begin on July 24th with football and rugby. The opening ceremonies follow on July 26th.
On Wednesday, 300 migrants were led onto buses that would take them to other towns in France from an old office building in Vitry-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris located in the south. The gathering consisted mostly of men, although a few young women brought their children along.
Several Paris-based organizations, like Utopia 56, which aids displaced and homeless individuals in France, have been keeping tabs on and criticizing the evictions, which have reportedly persisted for months, according to press accounts.
According to Paris 2024, the organizing committee takes concern for homelessness and emergency social care very seriously. They claim they are collaborating with the appropriate government agencies, adding that there is pressure for housing in the Paris region and that it has increased regardless of the Olympic games.
After being asked for comment, the International Olympic Committee simply stated that the issue of homelessness in Paris is clearly outside the remit of the Games organizers.
The Housing Ministry claims that the relocation of the homeless in the Paris region has nothing to do with the Games.
However, host cities have always made efforts to improve their reputation in preparation for the Games, such as constructing brand-new facilities, reworking public transportation systems, and, yes, even transferring homeless and low-income individuals.
According to press accounts from the time, hundreds of homeless people were relocated from more touristic portions of downtown Rio de Janeiro to the outskirts of the city in preparation for the 2016 Olympics. There were over 1.25 million people displaced in China due to urban redevelopment projects in the years leading up to the 2008 Olympics, and over 720,000 people evicted in the years leading up to the 1988 Seoul Games, according to a 2007 academic study on relocation efforts in preparation for the Games by the Swiss-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions.
