Paris 2024 Olympics: nearly 400 African migrants evacuated from the banks of the Seine

French police evacuated nearly 400 migrants, including families with small children, from Paris City Hall on Wednesday, as the capital prepared to host the Olympic Games in less than 100 days.

Police arrived at dawn to clear out the migrants on the quay of the Seine, mainly women and children aged 3 to 10, who were bundled up in strollers, under blankets or covered in plastic sheeting to protect themselves. rain.

These homeless people packed their bags and boarded a bus bound for temporary government housing in the eastern French city of Besançon.

Aid workers expressed concern that Wednesday's move marks the start of a broader effort by Paris authorities to evacuate migrants and others sleeping outside in the capital ahead of the Olympics without providing options longer-term housing.

Olympic organizers said they were taking joint action with aid groups to find solutions.

Many families are from French-speaking African countries, including Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Aid groups like Utopia 56 distributed food, blankets and diapers and helped some of them find temporary housing for a night or two.