The uninhabited farmland wedged between a rugby pitch and a brand new fire station in Saint-Laurent-du-Var (Alpes-Maritimes) is nothing more than a vast open dump halfway between slum and scrap metal. : . And for good reason. more than two years ago, dozens of gypsies of Romanian origin had settled there and developed a scrap metal business without ever getting the slightest request or permission.
At the end of a procedure that began more than a year ago and was coordinated by both the municipality and the sub-prefecture of Grasse, the migrants were evicted earlier in the week following an eviction notice issued on September 29. This Wednesday morning, the two camps were demolished with a mechanical shovel in the presence of the police, the mayor of Saint Laurent du Var, Joseph Segura, and the sub-prefects Patricia Valma and Jean-Claude Jean.
“It was time for us to intervene. A sense of unease was created at the population level, with a profound lack of understanding of not seeing the camps destroyed sooner. But it takes time, especially since we are here on private land.commented Joseph Segura.
We are in the country of law, law for all. France has a social policy to support the most disadvantaged
Vice-Prefect Jean-Claude Jeanny
Now there is a question about the cost of demolishing the camps, the evacuation of the waste and the contamination of the area. Because it’s private land, the bill, estimated to exceed €100,000, technically goes to the owners; although a criminal case was filed for the pollution of the area. “Anyway, thesepeople there (Editor’s Note squatters) are insolvent. So who will the owners foot the bill? We’re reaching the end of a system where we have to tell them that’s it.“, the city councilor mentioned. And I, Michel Zonino, attorney for the owners, regret that his clients “elderly people who do not have significant resources;»
In this matter, sub-prefect Patricia Valma wanted to be reassuring, highlighting the assistance of the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) that owners of the seized land should benefit from, without elaborating on the conditions of this assistance.
As for the Roma who occupied the site until recently, some of them are taken care of and should benefit from help with housing, professional integration or education, which is partly financed by European-wide loans. “The seizure of private lands in this way is unjustified. In turn, sub-prefect Jean-Claude Jeanne recalled. We are in the country of law, law for all. France has a social policy to support the most disadvantaged.
Source: Le Figaro
