George Floyd's death in the US has sparked renewed protests against racism and police behavior towards minorities in France. Despite minor concessions, those in power continue to deny the country has a problem with race.
French authorities insist they had reason to cut back on ADA cards – which give asylum seekers access to benefits – during the COVID-19 lockdown. They also say the right to the ADA has been extended to July because of the health crisis.
Koumba, from Guinea, arrived in France at the end of 2017 along with her two daughters, then aged two and four. She hoped to spare them the traumatic experience of female circumcision and wanted to offer them a good education. Two and a half years later, she says she has lost all hope for her future in France.
A court in the French city of Lyon has scrapped all charges against Cedric Herrou, a farmer in southern France who had helped about 250 migrants cross the border to France from Italy in 2015 and 2016. His case became synonymous with the term “crimes of solidarity.”
French police have arrested an Afghan national following the brutal murder of a prominent activist in northern France who helped migrants. The 63-year-old was bludgeoned to death.
To combat the coronavirus pandemic, many European countries have gone into lockdown. People can no longer move around freely, and many administrative services have been significantly reduced. How is this affecting asylum seekers in Italy, Germany and other countries across Europe? InfoMigrants asked its Facebook users.
The community center in the French village of Cloître-Saint-Thégonnec in Brittany serves as an “alternative school” for migrants and asylum seekers. The students at the center learn everything from French, mathematics and science to the local Celtic language, Breton. The classes, which are offered by volunteers, help the migrants integrate into French society. InfoMigrants went to visit.
A camp in the north of Paris was cleared by French police on Tuesday morning. Police said it was the "last one" to be cleared in the city. The more than 420 residents of the camp were taken to halls and welcome centers around the capital.
Omar, which is not his real name, is from Sudan. When he told his story to InfoMigrants French, he was in an administrative detention center CRA in Rennes, on the point of being expelled. Here the 25-year-old recounts his migratory journey, which was marred by violence and betrayal.
A total of 392 migrants have been relocated to other European countries by request of the Italian government since September. The most recent transfer took place just before the Christmas period on December 20, when 132 migrants were relocated to Germany.
As the western French city of Bordeaux struggles to accommodate its growing migrant population, more and more squats have popped up to keep the city's legal and illegal migrants off the streets. However, since the region appointed Fabienne Buccio as its prefect, an aggressive evacuation campaign has been set in motion; with over 70 squats having been shut down in the past 6 months alone.
Last month, France removed the cash withdrawal function from the ADA card - a special card reserved for asylum seekers in France – and transformed it into an “electronic-payment-only” card. The change has had a huge impact on the card’s users, who say they now struggle to pay for the most basic necessities, and many struggle to pay their rents.