Paris has a problem. The city currently houses some 5,000 migrants in hotels, much to the chagrin of the capital’s hoteliers. France’s capital is hosting two major tournaments in the next year: the Rugby World Cup in September and the Olympics next summer. An enduring headache for president Macron is where supporters will stay; hotels have been clamouring for permission to free up their rooms for tourists.
The solution Macron has come up with is to move the migrants out to the sticks, thereby freeing up those hotels. Their facilities were commandeered by the government because the numbers of homeless in Paris (the majority of whom are migrants) have overwhelmed the accommodation centres.
It is surely time the people were consulted on the most contentious issue of the age
There might be another reason why Macron is eager to ease the strain on Paris, and that is the crime rate; he claimed last year that foreigners are responsible for 50 per cent of the petty crimes committed in Paris.
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