“The way this is handled goes beyond de-archiving. It also has to do with drug users and sex workers,” de Klerk said, adding that it touches on anything that runs counter to “the ‘Emily in Paris’ postcard setting.”
France’s housing, sports and Olympic ministries did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.
missed opportunity
Paris’ bid to host the 2024 Olympics included a promise to make the event “the first inclusive and socially responsible Games.”
“It would have been a great story to see how the Olympics and Paralympic Games could be used as an opportunity to advance wellbeing and solidarity,” said Léa Filoche, Paris’s Deputy Mayor for Social Affairs. “It could have been, and it still could be,” she said, “but the political will is lacking.”
Filoche claimed that the city of Paris, controlled by a left-wing coalition, had offered to contribute financially for emergency housing construction, which is usually handled at the national level. That offer was not accepted, she said.
The priority now is to ensure that Paris’s homeless can continue to access public services during the Olympics, even as large-scale security measures are deployed to prevent non-ticket holders from accessing many areas.
“For some populations who are homeless, especially undocumented immigrants, confrontations with the police can end badly,” the deputy mayor of Paris said. “Some of the centers where you can have a shower, access medical resources, or get legal support may not be accessible. We need to start communicating about this now.”
“We are trying to expect as much as possible to ensure that already vulnerable populations do not become collateral victims of festive events,” Filoche said.
