This Wednesday evening, around a hundred people once again expressed their opposition to the anti-begging decree of the City of Amiens. To protest, exactly one week after the text came into force, activists and citizens met in front of city hall, with speeches and a sit-in. Among the demonstrators, who are banking heavily on the legal action examined on Monday, There were half a dozen homeless people, who have seen the first effects of the text for a week.
“Why give me a fine that I can’t pay?”
Olivier, 24, is one of the homeless people who was fined: “38 euros: but I can’t pay! If I beg, it’s to eat… Now that we can no longer beg, what do I do to eat?to feed my dogs?” asks the young man. Several other homeless people explain to France Bleu Picardie that they have been fined, sometimes with increases of 138 euros. Despite the injunctions of the municipal police, everyone manages to stay in the center of Amiens like Christophe :”They tell me not to stay there: I move two or three meters and there you go… We have no choice!“This forty-year-old takes part in all the gatherings:”Why do you want to fire us? We respect the street! We are not on the street, the street is ours!“
Since May 1 and until August 31, the municipality has banned begging in around twenty streets in the city center of Amiens. The demonstrators thus intend to maintain pressure on the town hall, while a legal action filed by the associations will be examined on Monday May 13 by the administrative court: “We will be there and united until the endtestifies Bertrand. If we have to demonstrate again we will be there: it is a shameful text, an attack on human rights“. Léa agrees: “We also continue to demonstrate to let people know that this decree is in force: we saw with our signs, many people who passed were certainly not aware“.
“What’s next after this decree?” associations are alarmed
On the side of associations, we are worried about the consequences of this decree : will one day giving to the homeless be punished? asks Jérémy, volunteer of the Amiens citizen marauding: “Many people give food and not necessarily money: I wonder if the very principle of marauding will be prohibited? All this legitimacy, the simple gesture of generosity is called into question“.
The associations claim that the Amiens town hall has not responded to their requests since the announcement of this decree. The hope of these collectives now: to have the decree annulled. Their appeal will be examined by the courts on Monday: the associations are calling for demonstrations at 2 p.m. in front of the administrative court.
