In order to cope with the massive influx of refugees and to host them in humane conditions, Anne Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris) suggests opening a refugee camp in the North of the capital.

Mud is omnipresent in the makeshift camp set up by refugees on the gardens of Eole (between the 18^th and the 19^th district of Paris). There are mud, cardboard boxes and tarpaulins stretched between trees. And in this dull environment, one thousand refugees wander.

According to Anne Hidalgo, these reception conditions are unworthy of the country of the Enlightenment: “Today, Europe is neither on a par with her history nor on a par with the stakes. Neither is our country because it does not provide enough rooms or efficient plan to deal with all these situations”. As a matter of facts, the measures taken are insufficient to help them. For instance, in the camp of the gardens of Eole, only three chemical toilets have been set up.

Besides, current bad weather worsens these men and women’s living conditions. The risk of diseases increases, so does the tense situation. We are experiencing a real health crisis.

In an attempt to provide these people with a decent accommodation, Anne Hidalgo suggests opening a reception center in Paris. So at a press conference, she announced the opening of a refugee camp on line with international standards by mid-July.

Damien Carème Mayor of Grande Sainte

This camp would be designed on the same model as the one of Grande-Synthe in the suburbs of Dunkerque. The Mayor of Grande Sainte, Damien Carème’s initiative was audacious because he didn’t wait for the consent of the Ministry of Interior to take action. The situation was growing ever more urgent with the continued flow of refugees. The camp of la Linière was open in a site of 7 hectares bought partly by the Town Hall. 1300 refugees live there and have access to running water, electricity and heating. They are accommodated in wood shelters and have real bathrooms and shared facilities.

Anne Hidalgo’s project aims at offering a day-care centre with information and overnight accommodation so as to avoid refugees to wait for months on the streets. At the moment, the location of this camp has not yet been determined but some places in North Paris are considered.

Anne Hidalgo would like to be emulated and that other such initiatives emerge. But the State’s support is questionable since it asked for the disassembly of the shelters of the camp of Grande-Synthe.

The members and partners of Ipse, stakeholders in social and solidarity economy can’t be unconcerned by this phenomenon of migration of refugees in view of its impact on the societal balances and of the economic and social costs triggered by possible exploitations of undeclared workers. As a matter of facts, those workers don’t have any actual rights and are condemned to accept the most arduous works. This tragedy, through its mass phenomena, has also an impact on the reinforcement of the populist, anti-democratic trends such as for instance, the recent presidential election in Austria. The Neo-Nazi candidate was nearly elected!