« Oopen the borders, the Tiken Jah Fakoly, or Citizen of the worldfrom HK, broadcast through a speaker, were taken up in chorus by the nearly 300 participants who were walking up Rue de la République, in Avignon, during the march organized on the occasion of World Migrants Day.
This strong mobilization started around 6 p.m., from the central station to Place des Carmes, punctuated by several speeches. “ We came to defend the unconditionality of welcome », confides Serge Mazoué, representative of the Hospitalité Vaucluse network and the Abbé Pierre Foundation, at the head of the procession. “ Anyone in distress should be welcomed, but France does not do this. We would like migrants to be able to move freely, without restrictions. We must oppose different projects, such as that of Minister of the Interior Retailleau », he continues.
“I am a minor
not a threat »
At his side, around fifteen young people, some of whom had their request for emergency reception refused, advance with carnival masks on their faces and signs proclaiming: “I am a minor, not a threat”, or even “ The delinquents are not us. We want to live, study, work.”
First to speak, Philippe Jaffré, a local activist committed to defending the rights of foreigners, urged to “ show solidarity in the face of the rise of the far right and to stand in solidarity with exiles, whatever their administrative situation “. He also called for “ combat all forms of supremacism, whether racial, national or sexist ”, before asking for a minute of silence “ for all those who lost their lives on the path to exile ».
