[Dryerase] The Alarm!--Sans-Papiers (english)

[The Alarm!Newswire]

Sans-Papiers in France

By Michelle Lee
The Alarm! Newspaper Contributor

On September 7, 2002, around 10,000 immigrants, concerned citizens and 
left-leaning political parties (from communists to anti-racism 
organizations to anarcho-affiliates) gathered at the Place de Clichy in 
Paris, to fight for the social and/or legal rights of the sans-papiers. 
  Sans-papiers literally means “without papers,” and refers to people 
who have emmigrated from economically-depressed nations to live and/or 
work in France, but who have not received the legal right to live there.

This demonstration was particularly well attended because September 
marks the rentrée sociale, when most of Parisians come back from 
vacation and confront new laws put into place during their absence.  
The march consisted mainly of North African, West African and Chinese 
immigrants of all ages, from babies in carriages to older generations.

The French right-wing government claims that these unwanted immigrants 
pose a threat to France’s economic stability and the legitimized French 
citizen’s ability to maintain a steady job.  At the same time the 
governments of the liberal-left have not fulfilled their promises to 
grant citizenship to all sans-papiers.

Since his appointment to the presidency in June, conservative French 
President Jacques Chirac has been increasing control over immigrant 
populations and the border.  The new presidency has granted more 
authority to police surveillance that is targeted at catching possible 
illegal immigrants.   Since 1974—the beginning of a national economic 
crisis and a government mandate (“immigration zero”) to secure the 
border—an increasing percentage of people (predominantly of North 
African descent) are being stopped on the street to have their “papers” 
checked, and then are released or deported, depending on the situation. 
  Before this economic crisis, the government looked to Morocco and 
Algeria to bring in cheap and practically slave labor of exploitable 
immigrants. The current penalization of these workers merely continues 
the exploitation of immigrants: now that economic and political 
interests have shifted, the formerly welcomed immigrants are 
criminalized.

Since state surveillance and brutality remains on the increase and the 
presence of labor exploitation is virtually unacknowledged by the 
government, there has been a wave of movements in France demanding the 
legalized status of all sans-papiers residents. Starting in 1997, 
sans-papier collectives started organizing on a grass-roots level to 
struggle for legal change of uncompromising and racist laws against 
immigrant populations.  Their two primary goals began are: the 
régularisation (legalization) for a ten-year period of all sans-papiers 
living in France and an end to all discriminatory laws.  Needless to 
say, the government has not ceded to either one of these requests.  So 
in the mean time, many collectives have been organizing lists of 
sans-papiers that the organizations turn over to the government and 
demand be legalized. In the past few years, there have been some minor 
successes at gaining temporary citizenship for a few of these lists.  
However, by no means have even the majority of immigrants become 
legalized. There are still about 80,000 immigrants working and living 
in France under the threat of deportation.  The struggle for the legal 
status of immigrant laborers as well as a a more generous opening of 
the French border continues today.

       All content Copyleft © 2002 by The Alarm! Newspaper. Except 
where noted otherwise, this material may be copied and distributed 
freely in whole or in part by anyone except where used for commercial 
purposes or by government agencies.

-----
The Alarm! Newspaper
a local weekly newspaper for an engaged populace

http://www.the-alarm.com/
info at the-alarm.com
P.O. Box 1205, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
(831) 429-NEWS - office
(831) 420-1498 - fax