French protest against tough immigration law
Several thousand people demonstrated in Paris today to demand residency permits for the country’s illegal immigrants.
The march, led by anti-racism groups, labour unions and left-leaning political parties, marked the 10th anniversary of a stand-off between immigrants and police at Paris’ Saint-Bernard church.
Marchers protested against a tough new immigration law that makes it harder for people in the country illegally to obtain residency permits.
Marchers also denounced the recent eviction of more than 500 people, many of them illegal immigrants, who were squatting at a former university residence in the Paris suburb of Cachan.
“Housing, papers, schools right now,” read a banner carried by some of the 508 people evicted from the dormitory last week.
“Ten years after Saint Bernard: Now more than ever, regularisation for illegal immigrants,” read another banner.
In August 1996, police raided the Saint Bernard church in northern Paris after nearly 300 immigrants had sought refuge there for two months.
