Several demonstrations have taken place in France in recent days against the immigration law. In Paris, around 1000 people gathered on Friday.
Demonstrations took place on Friday December 22 in several French cities, notably in Paris, Bordeaux, and Rennes, to protest against the recently adopted immigration bill. This law, deemed racist and xenophobic by its detractors, sparked significant mobilization, bringing together a wide range of participants, from undocumented immigrants to students, including unions and associations.
In Paris, around a thousand people marched from the Place de la République to the Place du Châtelet, chanting slogans such as “Case by case, we don’t want it, regularization of all undocumented immigrants” or ” No one is illegal.” The demonstrators clearly expressed their opposition to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, with chants like “Darmanin will not lay down the law”. The police headquarters confirmed the presence of around 1,100 people in the capital.
The demands focused on the total withdrawal of the bill, criticized for its provisions on social benefits for foreigners, migration quotas, the questioning of the automaticity of land law, and the reinstatement of a “crime of illegal stay. According to Ahamada Siby, spokesperson for the collective of undocumented immigrants from Montreuil, “this racist law criminalizes undocumented immigrants”. Pauline Lebaron, co-general secretary of the Student Union, stressed the need to stand alongside undocumented immigrants, particularly for non-EU foreign students.
Bordeaux, Rennes, Toulouse, Nancy…
In Bordeaux, the atmosphere was similar with several hundred demonstrators, including many students and retirees, roaming the city center chanting slogans such as “Regularization of undocumented immigrants” or “Air, open the borders” . In Rennes, the demonstration against the immigration law also brought together between 1,800 and 2,500 people on Wednesday. Demonstrations were also held in other cities, such as Toulouse and Nancy.
This week, the CGT called for “civil disobedience” in the face of this law, considered as a challenge to the Republican principles of equality and solidarity. In addition, 45 associations and unions launched a call for Emmanuel Macron, asking him not to promulgate the law. These organizations, as well as the 32 departments led by the left, announced that they would not apply some of the measures provided for by the law.
Despite criticism, President Emmanuel Macron defended the law during an interview on France 5, assuring that the French were “waiting” for this text. He denied any far-right inspiration in the development of the law.