Evicted from a disused building in the Grésilles district last September, around thirty people seeking asylum have moved into new empty premises in Dijon. Since Thursday, December 17, they have been living in abandoned EDF premises.
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The forced moves follow one another for asylum seekers from Dijon. After the evacuation of a building in the Grésilles district last September, around thirty migrants took up residence in former EDF premises, Boulevard Kennedy.
“Here it is perfect”
Originally from Somalia, Khaled has been in France for 14 months. Her asylum procedure is ongoing, but it is taking time. So he cannot yet work or even earn money. In Dijon, the young man experienced several squats, accommodation centers, but also the street. It develops : ” my situation as an asylum seeker means that we cannot stay very long in one place. We have no house, no money, no government aid “.
Today, he considers himself lucky to be able to spend the winter warm, and with a roof over your head. “Here it is perfect he enthused himself. When we got to the building there were already a couple of people who had been living here for some time. They told us “it’s okay, you can stay” “.
So Khaled and about 30 other people, mainly young men from sub-Saharan Africa, stayed. Most of them knew the former premises of the CPAM in Chenôve, then those on rue Becquerel, in the Grésilles district. Installed for a few days, all are busy cleaning the vacant premises since 2013. Recently, they have been joined by associations.
Previously, the premises belonged to EDF.
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© France Télévisions / Léo-Pol Platet
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On site for a week
“We have been present since last Sunday (December 20) but people entered the building on Wednesday or last Thursday. We did not invest the building ourselves, we came to provide support to those who were there” exhibits Marc Hauville, member of the Asile Migrants 21 collective.
This collective brings together a set of associations that provide material and legal aid for migrants. ” In a case like today it is about supporting a new installation and making sure that everything goes well for people ” continues the volunteer.
© France Télévisions / Léo-Pol Platet
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Precarious living conditions
Valuable assistance since the thirty or so “tenants” still live in precarious conditions. Long abandoned, the building is dilapidated and does not yet offer all the amenities. “We can eat inside the building but to shower or go to the toilet we have to go out. Maybe in the next few days we can use the toilet in the building” enlightens Khaled.
After trying his luck in France for the first time, Khaled returned to France with the intention of staying there. ” I hope I can stay in France for a long time now. I want to study and have a good life, better than in Somalia. At the moment in my country families and children are living outside because of the war. They can’t protect themselves. So we come to Europe to have a better life ” he concludes.
Marc Hauville, member of the migrant asylum collective 21:
Marc Hauville, migrant asylum association 21
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