Drug addicts cleared from Paris neighborhood by 200 officers, minister awaiting relocation proposals
September 24, 2021
French police have cleared dozens of homeless drug addicts from an area of the capital, after residents and the mayor complained about the inaction of law enforcement. It is uncertain where they will be relocated.
On Friday morning, police entered the Jardins d'Éole and Stalingrad areas of Paris to remove dozens of drug addicts who had taken up residence in a park and on nearby streets. “The fight against drugs is a daily struggle and I have heard the anger of the residents,” interior minister Gerald Darmanin said in a tweet.
Darmanin said he had spoken to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo who, earlier in the week, had complained about police inaction as residents grew more and more frustrated about the presence of drug-takers in their neighborhood.
Speaking to BFM TV, the minister said he had instructed police to hold their ground in the area to ensure the addicts did not return in the coming days. “Today, drug addicts are in another place where there are no residents nearby,” Darmanin stated, adding that he was awaiting proposals as to where they could be taken.
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