Police move migrants from Paris camp
French police have begun evacuating hundreds of migrants from a tent camp near a major railway station and tourist area in Paris, amid mounting frustration from residents.
The camp had become a symbol of Europe’s challenge of what to do with waves of migrants, many fleeing strife or deep poverty in Africa, arriving this year.
Dozens of police vehicles and rubbish trucks surrounded the area this morning, in the shadow of the famed Sacre Coeur basilica.
Migrants slowly gathered their blankets and meagre belongings and boarded buses. They have been living near the Eurostar train tracks to Britain, below an elevated metro line, for months.
The migrants’ destination was not immediately clear. Social worker Bruno Morel of aid group Emmaus said some will be taken to centres for asylum seekers.
