A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #341 - The Olympic Games in Paris, accelerators of the future (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Accelerators of the future, this is the slogan that is displayed on the 
walls of the Paris Region. And that is unfortunately true. The bulk of 
the events will take place in 93, the poorest department in mainland 
France, ransacked to be transformed into a "showcase of France". Beyond 
the disruption for residents during the ordeals, which will undoubtedly 
then be forgotten, we must make the poor and poverty invisible, which 
here inevitably causes a lot of damage, and lasting damage. The Olympic 
Games are also a fantastic way to more quickly impose Greater Paris, a 
tool for real estate speculation and gentrification, to the detriment of 
the territories (new administrative name for the suburbs concerned).

The Olympic showcase or the Potemkin village (1)

The vision of poverty must not overshadow the Olympic Games, the 
international showcase of France and Paris. But in 93, it's complicated.
Among the most visible poor people, there are migrants, who are often 
black and therefore even more visible. The expulsions of squats 
continued at an infernal pace until the winter break, and resumed as 
soon as it ended. Only the most important or the most publicized were 
mentioned in the press. We should particularly mention the evacuation of 
a squat of nearly 300 people in Vitry last April. There were actually 
more of them, probably 450, but many preferred to leave before the 
expulsion. The expulsion of Unibéton in Saint Denis last fall also 
caused quite a stir. For several years, the ministry has stopped 
publishing the official number of expulsions, or even the end of procedures.
Some associations put forward the figure of 4,000 homeless people sent 
to "airlocks" in the provinces since spring 2023, and the rate is 
accelerating. The departure is supposedly voluntary, but otherwise it 
means the destruction of tents, confiscation of belongings, etc. for 
some, an OQTF for others, in any case the street. These "airlocks" are 
generally planned for three weeks. According to official figures, nearly 
3,000 people have passed through there since April 2023. There, social 
sorting is carried out, OQTF for undocumented immigrants, emergency 
housing for certain families, nothing for others. No one to follow the 
administrative procedures in Paris and therefore the loss of the 
possibility of papers. Obviously, many come back and re-set up their 
tents. What else can they do? The rights defender, Claire Hédon, herself 
"addressed" this "invisibility of undesirables" at the end of January.
There are also all those who are housed in precarious conditions. One 
case made noise: the expulsion of students housed in CROUS to make room 
for athletes, volunteers, employees, cops and firefighters. Even foreign 
students will have to clear their path. Mobilization is very weak, 
obviously the fear dominates of not getting a room back the following 
year if we oppose this evacuation. We talk much less about all the 
families that social services prefer to drop off at hotels rather than 
find them accommodation. They too will have to make room for the influx 
of people to be accommodated during the Olympics.

In short, the Olympics are an opportunity for a frantic hunt for the 
poor, in line with the destruction of favelas during the World Cup in 
Brazil. The associations have tried to react, but this is a very 
precarious and vulnerable population, and as far as migrants are 
concerned, the police deployment is impressive.
Less serious socially, but very symbolically speaking, while we recruit 
all the young people around the Olympics, at National Education and in 
leisure centers (see article in this issue), in Seine Saint Denis, the 
Grants are reserved for projects that plan to take young people outside 
the region. The "summer quarters" system is reoriented in this 
direction. It is a system designed to offer activities to young people 
during the summer, which has existed since 2020. It must be said that it 
is a department where we rarely go on vacation, due to low income. Until 
now, this system did not include a stay component. However, the 
associations had started to put together their files since January. The 
message is clear: get out during games. Let us specify that this aspect 
only concerns the department of Seine Saint Denis, in the other 
departments on the contrary it is the projects related to the Olympic 
Games which have priority. In Seine Saint Denis, the other projects not 
being more or less funded, for those who will not leave, return to the 
"hold the walls" box. Some projects will be financed, but "over the 
counter" with certain town halls. Clientelism when you hold us...
And speaking of patronage, 180,000 places should be distributed in the 
department. To whom and on what criteria? Troussel (the socialist 
president of the department) did not specify this. (2)

"Soft" mobility
Let's start with brutal mobility. To reduce traffic jams for athletes, a 
motorway interchange is built at the Pleyel crossroads, famous for its 
traffic jams. Its five straps will pass over a school of around 600 
children. The numerous protests from parents, teachers and local 
residents have not changed the project one bit. Of course, once the 
Olympics are over, that will not change the traffic jams, they should 
even get worse in the area. But the work and the pollution will remain. 
This is the most famous example of the large, unnecessary road projects 
caused by these "most environmentally friendly" games.
Let's move on to the first harshness of soft mobility: the double price 
of the metro ticket. People who take transport to work (including 
schoolchildren) most often have a pass. Tourists will be affected, but 
being extorted is part of their economic function. The most precarious 
will also be affected, those who do not travel often enough to have a 
pass. And at EUR5 per ticket purchased on the non-connecting bus, we bet 
that they will stay at home. How much can we bet that the ticket won't 
go down afterwards?
The Olympic Games will be an opportunity to test Parisian transport. And 
there, we will laugh. Currently, it's already hell, a hell that has 
increased with the renovation work and their cut lines, not the same 
every day and not on the same sections, it would be a shame to be able 
to simply plan your route. We are told that 10 lines out of the 14 in 
the metro will be heavily impacted. Bus lines will also be affected, as 
will the RER B, C and D. We have been told about line extensions towards 
the suburbs. In fact, they were usually already planned. The problem is 
that it doesn't follow. When you extend a line, the crowds explode (yes, 
the suburbs are populated). It is therefore necessary to put more trains 
into service, otherwise they will be blocked. For line 14, 72 trains 
would be needed (in ordinary times). There are 47 of them. For line 13, 
famous for its congestion, the hiring of drivers has been announced, but 
they will not be enough to fill the retirements planned after the 
Olympics. And everything is to match.
In fact, the new RER lines or line extensions are not linked to the 
Olympic Games but to Greater Paris, which the deadline for the Olympic 
Games accelerates. These are enormous works, enormous tunnels are dug, 
and the impact studies have been criticized for being weak and 
incomplete. As we are in a hurry for the Olympics, not only will they 
not be in depth, but the procedures are accelerated. With what 
ecological impact and what risks for line safety? 390,000 m³ of partly 
polluted land should land on the Bardouville landfill, in a natural 
park. Furthermore, the route of these lines does not serve the 
residents, but the projects of the technocrats. For example, Roissy will 
be connected directly to Orly (it will not be ready for the Olympics). 
Great! But who does this concern? Not so many Sequano-Dyonisians in any 
case.

Unaccompanied minors from Belleville
Real estate speculation
Obviously, all these new lines planned for Greater Paris are accompanied 
by intense real estate speculation. More than 250 hectares of offices 
are planned in the areas of the 68 Grand Paris Express stations. To the 
detriment of social housing (it must be said that the average waiting 
time is only 7 years in Paris) and the rare green or even agricultural 
spaces still existing (lines 17 and 18 in Val d'Oise and Saclay) . This 
speculation also extends to the neighborhoods around the stations in 
question, which go from the status of isolated neighborhoods to that of 
neighborhoods connected to the big people of this world. But this is not 
linked to the Olympic Games which are only the potion which makes this 
sinister future happen even more quickly.
There is also real estate speculation directly induced by the Games. For 
example, the new Olympic aquatic center next to the Stade de France was 
also supposed to accommodate smaller swimming pools (the area lacks 
swimming pools). But ultimately no: it will be offices, hotels and some 
housing. The athletes' village, for which 3 schools, 19 businesses, 1 
hotel and 2 homes were destroyed, will be converted into offices, shops, 
hotels and luxury housing. For social housing, we will wait (a few 
years, as we have seen).

Gentrification
Here again, the gentrification of the inner suburbs has more to do with 
real estate pressure and Greater Paris than with the Olympics 
themselves. The poor will have to move further, and this is a movement 
that has already largely begun in quite a few municipalities.
But the Olympic Games also make their own contribution. Since Paris was 
designated as a host city in 2017, real estate prices have increased by 
22.3% in the 93. Part of the Courneuve park has been declassified to 
accommodate the media cluster, which will host journalists in 900 homes. 
The final district will have 1,300, sold at more than 5,000 euros per 
m², in a town where the current average price is 3,000 euros. A certain 
number of structures set up for the Olympic Games will then remain as 
luxury residences. In a department where housing is already overcrowded. 
The swimming pools built for the Olympic Games will be entrusted to 
private companies. No more municipal rates.

As we can see, the Olympic Games are not only about the global 
corruption of sport, a nauseating ideology, and the experimentation with 
the safest techniques. It is also a vast social massacre, an 
acceleration towards Greater Paris. However, some struggles have tried 
to use the future Olympics as an opportunity. Undocumented immigrants 
(see article in this issue) first. But also the unaccompanied minors of 
Belleville. These are the minors whose ages the authorities refuse to 
recognize so as not to have to take them into care. Following several 
expulsions, they gathered at Belleville Park (Paris 20th) to have the 
visibility of a large collective. Well organized and determined, they 
are occupying the metalworkers' house at the time of writing. One of 
their slogans: no housing, no Olympics! It is still a little shameful 
for us that the only ones who took advantage of the Olympic Games to 
make their demands heard are migrants...
When we see the extent of the social consequences of the Olympic Games, 
we can only be surprised by the weakness of the reactions. Their 
strength is that multiple sectors are attacked simultaneously, but 
without the link between these attacks necessarily being made. We are 
paying cash for our failure to build a real convergence of struggles. 
And there, it's a bulldozer that goes very fast, which leaves people in 
a state of astonishment, and which allows them to implement their 
projects before the slightest resistance has had time to organize. The 
police deployment that accompanies this bulldozer suggests, however, 
that fear is not only on our side.

CJ Ile de France

Notes
(1) A Russian legend tells that when Tzarina Catherine visited Russia, 
her minister Potemkin kept the poor away and built stone house facades 
along her path.
(2) Seine Saint Denis, the prefecture wants to send young people from 
neighborhoods far from the Olympics, Mediapart, David Attié, Nevil 
Gagnepain, Mathilde Boulon-Lamraoui and Margaux Dzuilka (Bondy blog), 
May 4, 2024

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