This is an archive article published on July 22, 2024

Ahead of the Paris Games, a Parisian exodus by force and choice

According to a report released by French collective Le Revers de la Médaille last month, the Parisian authorities have removed thousands of homeless people, as well as others “coming from vulnerable sections” in a bid to empty the city “of the people that the powers that be consider undesirable.”

People walk inside a tunnel leading to the entrance of the State de France ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)

3 min readJul 22, 2024 08:54 AM IST First published on: Jul 22, 2024 at 08:54 AM IST

The Olympics are returning to Paris after 100 years. But many Parisians won’t be there to welcome it. Some have left by choice, due to the strict regulations, and many more who have been forcefully evacuated.

According to a report released by French collective Le Revers de la Médaille (The Other Side of the Medal) last month, the Parisian authorities have removed thousands of homeless people, as well as others “coming from vulnerable sections” in a bid to empty the city “of the people that the powers that be consider undesirable.”

The collective, that claims to be “actors of solidarity warning of the social impact of organising the Olympics” on their website, released the report, in French, titled ‘1 year of social cleansing before the 2024 Olympic Games.’

Per The Guardian, it details the expulsion of over 12,000 people from the streets of Paris, from the start of April 2023, in the buildup to the Olympics.

The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower in Paris ahead of the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo)

Accusations of “social cleansing” against Parisian authorities have escalated ever since reports also emerged in April this year that hundreds of migrants form France’s largest squat, Vitry-sur-Seine, located in the south of Paris, have been evicted.

They were allegedly put on buses and encouraged to occupy other parts of the country. According to France24, it was the third such evacuation drive conducted in the Île-de-France region, comprising Paris and its surrounding areas, since the start of 2023.

Negative opinion

It has not just been the homeless, vulnerable, and migrants who have been prompted to leave the French capital. When French Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, prompted locals to engage in remote work or take time off to ease some of the burden that will be there on the public transport system of Paris in July-August, it was seen as an implication to push out locals to accommodate the droves that will arrive during the Olympics.

A poll run by the company Odoxa in 2023 revealed that nearly 44% of residents of the Paris region expressed a negative opinion about the Olympics and Paralympics. According to Odexa, in 2021, only 21% had reservations about the Olympics.

While hosting of the Olympics are seen in some areas as a huge waste of money for little return for French nationals barring profits for the large multinational staekholders. But locals are also now seeing them as a major inconvenience.

Many are planning remote work, others are planning to find place for themselves in other parts of France, but not all are likely to be as lucky.

“Am I excited about the Games? No, sorry, I know it’s not the right response but I’m not excited at all,” a 57-year-old consulting director that lives in Paris and plans to work from home during the Olympics, told Reuters in April.

“I’m very worried,” she said. “When we see how messy daily life already is in Paris, with all these additional people coming for the Olympics, it will be hell.”