Thousands of people took to the streets in France today against a planned reform of immigration laws and a deportation operation on the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. According to the police, around 2,300 people took part in a protest march in the capital Paris alone. Among the demonstrators were many undocumented migrants.
In Paris, the protesters marched behind a banner that read “No to the Darmanin Law” – Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is responsible for the immigration law. “Against oppression, imprisonment and deportation, for a welcoming migration policy” was written next to it.
Law postponed several times
The immigration law, which has been postponed several times and which the government of President Emmanuel Macron now wants to tackle in autumn, is a “racist law” with the aim of “criminalizing foreigners” and achieving “more deportations”, said the Mali-born demo participant Aboubacar.
“The problem isn’t immigration, it’s exploitation and criminal bosses,” said the 31-year-old, who works for a postal contractor and has been trying to get a residence permit for 17 months. Demonstrations also took place in many other French cities. 200 to 300 people took to the streets in Marseille and more than 500 in Rennes.
