Recent footage circulating on social media depicts French police officers shining flashlights into migrant tents in the dead of night before swiftly dismantling the camps, raising alarm over clandestine operations aimed at avoiding scrutiny, particularly in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.
The collective Accès au Droit (Access to Rights) shared a video on social media capturing French police officers using flashlights to rouse sleeping migrants under a bridge in Paris’s Jaurès district. According to Fanny, a member of the collective, the migrants, primarily young Afghans, were forcibly awakened between 2:30 am and 3 am by police officers wielding tear gas in response to protests over the dismantling of their makeshift shelters.
This incident is part of a recurring pattern where migrants in informal camps report sudden nocturnal evictions orchestrated by French authorities. Accès au Droit’s November 2023 report documented 448 testimonies of police violence against migrants since 2015, with evictions from public spaces accounting for 88% of the reported cases.
Oriane Sebillotte, a migration specialist, notes that these operations often occur under darkness, making documentation challenging. While acknowledging that such violence may not be institutionalized, Sebillotte asserts that instances of police brutality against migrants have persisted for years, indicating systemic issues.
Despite reports of systemic violence, some migrants downplay the severity of their situation, citing worse treatment in other countries. However, Sebillotte emphasizes the diverse forms of violence migrants endure, including tactics aimed at disrupting their physiological needs, such as preventing sleep or destroying belongings.
The timing of these operations has also raised suspicion, with experts suggesting a desire to avoid negative publicity ahead of the Olympics, reminiscent of a controversial incident in 2020 at Place de la République, where French police faced backlash for violent dispersals of migrants.
The prevalence of police brutality extends beyond Paris, with concerns raised by NGOs regarding the treatment of migrants in northern France, particularly around Calais. Despite ongoing advocacy efforts, migrants in the region continue to face harassment and frequent evictions, highlighting systemic challenges in addressing migrant rights in France.