3000 people demonstrated through the streets of Lille, in Northern France, on 15th March. The march was calling for the "regularisation" of "Sans Papiers" in France and in support of the Lille hunger strikers.
Most of the people were young and there was a lively grouping from Saint Bernard "Sans Papiers", OUT NOW!
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With the latest Government anti-refugee measures there are now estimated to be 750,000 "Sans Papiers" in France. Their existence is one in which they can not work legally, can not claim benefits, are supposed to report to the police and they are picked up and imprisoned for not having papers. It is an end to this persecution that is the main aim of "regularisation".
There were speakers at the rally from the national organisation of "Sans Papiers", from Saint Bernard, from the local Lille organisaand from the Asylum conference that was taking place weekend It is plain, from the way that this movement speaks of the way that Western governments are squeezing the underdeveloped world through debt and arms sales to western trained dictators, that this is the strongest movement of black people in Europe at the moment, which is also black-led.
The march ended at the MNE building in Lille, which is occupied by the 20 or so hunger strikers, who had reached their 62nd day of not cating solids.
On March 15, a delegation from the International asylum conference in Lille visited the hunger strikers, to show solidarity. The hunger strikers had been forcibly removed to hospital for 2 days a week and they were desperate for The British media have ignored these hunger strikes, which reflect the increased desperation of the "Sans Papiers".
Demonstrations are regularly held and these should be supported where possible and messages solidarity i can be sent to MNE Building, 23 Rue Gosseler, 59,000 Lille, France.
Calls for "regularisation" should be sent to the Prefecture in Lille, and the French Embassy.
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