12, February 2017
French police stealing homeless refugees’ blankets in freezing conditions 0
French police are stealing blankets and sleeping bags from refugees who are forced to sleep in freezing conditions in Paris, says a report. According to an exclusive report published by The Independent on Saturday, police in the French capital are also using teargas on men, women and children refugees and “violently” forcing them out of the city.
Several Eritrean families said that police told them to “get out of France” while officers took their blankets in terrible weather conditions, with temperatures reaching below -7 degrees Celsius.
“While we were there we witnessed the police taking people’s belongings – some in the night, some in the daytime – it’s quite a visible phenomenon,” said the deputy director of the Refugee Rights Data Project, Natalie Stanton. “The same night the government announced a plan to keep everyone warm, we witnessed police picking up blankets and putting them in a big rubbish bin on the back of a truck, then driving away,” she added.
According to the report, around two thirds of the refugees interviewed said they were woken in the middle of the night by police and forced to relocate. Around half of those interviewed reported the incident as being violent.
One middle-aged man said that the police had kicked him so hard that he was forced to stay in hospital for 20 days. Some others said that the police used teargas against them when they did not immediately comply. “If we question them or say we have nowhere to go, they bring out the teargas,” said an Afghan refugee.
“Some people had such horrendous experiences during their journeys that it’s just another problem,” said Stanton, noting that most of the refugees were “shocked” by the treatment they received in France. “They were thinking they would have somewhere safe to sleep,” she added.
Over 340 refugees and people displaced by war in their countries — staying on the streets of Paris’s La Chapelle district — were interviewed for the report. Most hailed from Afghanistan, the rest were from mainly African nations.
Presstv
13, February 2017
Consortium halts its Monday ghost town operation 0
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has halted its Monday ghost town operation. The interim leaders hinted that Southern Cameroonians deserve a day off following the massive civil disobedience campaign that disrupted Youth Day celebrations throughout the Anglophone regions. The interim leaders in a statement released late yesterday observed that ghost towns will return tomorrow Tuesday the 14th of February 2017.
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium has gotten the endorsements of senior Southern Cameroons groups including the religious leaders. Tapang Ivo and Mark Bareta on Sunday said they had halted today’s ghost town after very intensive and productive discussions with the operation command of the Consortium in both the Buea and Bamenda provinces of West Cameroon. The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium will however, use the time today to monitor minute by minute the trial of the detained leaders; Dr Agbor Felix Nkongho and Dr. Neba Fontem that opens today in Yaoundé.
The Consortium leaders have warned La Republique that “If no word comes from the Biya Francophone regime on the independence of Southern Cameroons soonest, we will prove to the world what really demonstrations mean.” There have been fears among prominent Francophone political elites that the Anglophone protests could lead to widespread civil disobedience.
The Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium leaders, who are now pushing for an independent state for Southern Cameroons, said they were suspending the ghost town only for today to allow Southern Cameroons to get some rest. However, the Francophone political elites have warned that the Biya regime will not accept any proposal to hold talks with the outlawed Consortium. Cameroun government Minister of Communication said that any talks outside what the regime wants will be contrary to the Constitution.
A prominent Southern Cameroons barrister was quoted as saying “We are not going to accept dialogue with any Biya emissary because our Southern Cameroons sovereignty is not vested in the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo government.”
By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai