Aid associations migrants who arrive in the Hautes-Alpes, in conflict with the new mayor (LR) of Briançon who decided to close several of their accommodation and logistics premises, published an appeal signed by many personalities.
This call “So that the Briançonnais remains a territory united with the exiles”, published Monday evening on the website of Release, was supported by the bishop of Gap Mgr Xavier Malle, the sociologist Edgar Morin, the former world football champion Lilian Thuram, the mayor of Marseille Michèle Rubirola, the secretary general of the CFDT Laurent Berger, the actors Ariane Ascaride and Philippe Torreton, the navigator Isabelle Autissier, or the collective of the rescue boat in the Mediterranean Louise Michel financed by Banksy.
Since 2016, migrants arriving from Italy have taken the Montgenèvre pass, fleeing too much police pressure near Nice and Ventimiglia. In Briançon, several associations have been created and have received the support of local authorities.
But the new mayor of Briançon Arnaud Murgia has asked the Refuge solidaire to return the keys to the premises formerly loaned by the Community of municipalities of Briançonnais (CCB) by October 28 and does not wish to renew the provision of a cabin which serves as a technical room for the marauding of Médecins du Monde and All Migrants.
The latter denounce a “Serious obstacle to relief operations for exiles” and warn against a decision that “Would throw the exiles into the streets […] while night temperatures are already approaching zero degrees in Briançon ”.
“A real humanitarian drama”
Arnaud Murgia “Would create the conditions for a real humanitarian drama, with new deaths in the mountains”, warn the associations, which have decided to publicize their mobilization after the failure of discussions with the elected.
For his part, the councilor highlights the security rules not respected and the fact that immigration is not his responsibility as mayor and president of the CCB.
The Solidarity Refuge, where three cases of Covid-19 at the beginning of September, was able to resume welcoming new arrivals since Sunday.
The prefecture issued a new decree for “Restrict its reception capacity to a maximum of 35 people” for “Limit the creation of an epidemic focus” because the isolation requested after the positive tests was not respected.
Even before the appearance of the coronavirus, the accommodation capacity of this refuge, theoretically limited to 15 people, was often exceeded. About 11,000 people have been welcomed there since it opened in July 2017.
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