In quick succession, two squats in the metropolis of Lyon had their occupants evicted. They are mainly asylum seekers, including several families with young children. The prefecture says it is applying court decisions.
A first squat was “evacuated” this Thursday, June 8 in Caluire-et-Cuire. The second, in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon, this Monday, June 12 in the morning. Very different from each other, these two squats mainly housed families, single mothers with their young children, or even young adults, all of whom were asylum seekers. A few days apart, they were evacuated without any solution being given to them in terms of temporary accommodation.
A situation vigorously denounced by the Intersquats69 collective, which deplores the lack of support from the Métropole and the State services. Since then, three families have been taken care of and temporarily housed in hotel rooms on the outskirts of Lyon. Others had to find refuge in tents of an improvised camp in the square Gustave-Auguste Ferrié, in Croix-Rousse.
For the “Dur À Cure” squat, which had given rise to an agreement with the owner of the premises, Carré d’Or (Vinci group), the departure date of the occupants was planned quite early. The date was fixed in April and then in fine to June 7th. “Everything had been agreed with the owner who planned to recover the buildings of this former medico-psychological center (CMP) because their development project was progressing. Problem: the departure of the inhabitants was conditioned on their rehousingunderlines Bernard Merlin, member of the support group “Dur À Cuire”. However, the meetings with the Métropole last February, which should have made it possible to anticipate the search for rehousing, have yielded nothing. Residents and supporters were shocked by the deployment of a massive police force for the eviction when most people had left.”
Four years earlier, however, things had taken a good turn. Opened in 2019, this squat installed in two small buildings of a CMP belonging at the time to the psychiatric center of Vinatier, changes hands. The site is sold to the promoter Carré d’Or, of the Vinci group. In consultation with the latter, a housing agreement was signed between the inhabitants and the new owner, via the mediation of the “La Kommune” association.
The agreement guarantees that as long as there is no defined project, the occupants can remain on site. At the end of 2022, an end-of-occupancy date is announced for the spring. Things can be done with the anticipation required for solutions to be considered. Which will not be the case. “The end of the contract should have been accompanied by the services of the Statedeplores the support group. And secondly by the Metropolis, competent authority in the matter.”
The Rhône prefecture explains, for its part, “enforce court decisions“. The particularity in one of the two cases is the agreement between the different actors: owners, occupants, State. Deadlines “were known, the agreement was coming to an end, the occupants knew it” according to a spokesperson for the prefecture.
This Monday, June 12 in the morning, the house located in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon had to be “evacuated with the support of law enforcement“. A seemingly complex operation.”The upstream census work could not be carried out, the occupants did not want to communicate their identities“. A work of anticipation, which, when it is carried out, “allows you to find temporary accommodation solutions“, again according to the cabinet of the prefecture.
The prefecture recalls that a certain number of emergency accommodations are made available to people. They must meet criteria to be able to enter the emergency arrangements. Provided that “to cooperate“.
From now on, the supporters hope for rehousing in a hostel for asylum seekers and in emergency accommodation for the evicted occupants who do not benefit from the same status.
Rue Rachet, in the 8th arrondissement, the squat was not under agreement. It was on a right-of-way of the city of Lyon. There, the expulsion was harsher, say the leaders of the Intersquats69 collective. The families who lived there and maintained the place had to leave. The occupants had asked, several weeks earlier, to meet the mayor of the 8th, without obtaining satisfaction.
According to the city of Lyon, “many nuisances were observed (damage, noise pollution, throwing of projectiles, etc.)“since the installation two years ago of the squatters. “The city services wanted to engage in social work with the occupants. In vain”.
The city therefore decided to enforce the eviction order. She specifies that specific support is provided for vulnerable people (pregnant women) and recalls that a social project is planned on this site.
Today, around sixty people are back on the streets according to the associations.
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