A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #363 - Anti-racism - Ouistreham: Sudanese exiles once again homeless (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In Normandy, Ouistreham is a stopover on the road to exile. For six 
years, a Sudanese community has formed at this border crossing to 
England. They have fled war, famine, and poverty and are seeking asylum 
in France or the United Kingdom. Solidarity is being organized in the 
face of state repression and racism. Since 2017, the small port town of 
Ouistreham, located 10 kilometers from Caen, has been a stopover on the 
road to exile. Since 2019, a Sudanese community from the Darfur region, 
the Zaghawa, composed entirely of young men, has found itself at this 
border crossing between France and England. These men have fled war, 
massacres of civilians, famine, and poverty. Most of them settled here 
with the aim of seeking asylum in France, although a few are trying to 
reach the United Kingdom.

The State, Willfully Failing
Like hundreds of others, they live in extremely difficult conditions: a 
makeshift camp in a wood at the end of the towpath, wedged between the 
Orne Canal and a campsite. Yet, between 6,000 and 10,000 homes are empty 
in Caen and its metropolitan area[1]; more than enough to shelter the 
homeless, unaccompanied minors, exiled families, refugees, and people in 
precarious situations. Nevertheless, neither the mayors of the various 
cities in the metropolitan area nor the prefect of Caen are taking any 
action to protect these vulnerable people[2]. Yet, the law requires the 
State and its local representatives to "implement the right to emergency 
housing for any homeless person in a situation of medical, 
psychological, or social distress" and states that "a serious failure to 
fulfill this duty may constitute a serious and manifestly illegal 
violation of a fundamental freedom" (decision of the Council of State, 
February 10, 2012). The public authorities are doing nothing. Worse, 
they are throwing these people back onto the streets by closing numerous 
squats where families, sometimes with children, were temporarily housed.

Social landlords like CDC Habitat and Inolya have resorted to bricking 
up these homes, going so far as to break the plumbing and electrical 
systems to prevent people from living there. They leave these homes 
empty, sometimes for more than ten years! An absolute disgrace.

Social landlords brick up homes and destroy electrical and plumbing 
systems to prevent occupancy. Citizens in Struggle Ouistreham
It was in this context that on January 4, 2025, the Riva Bella and Sans 
Bail squats in Ouistreham, located opposite each other in a formerly 
unoccupied holiday center, were officially established. The fifty or so 
Sudanese exiles could finally rest, sleep, take a hot shower, and cook; 
in short, live with a modicum of dignity.

In early February, the occupants of the premises were notified of the 
launch of an eviction procedure called DALO 38, which was immediately 
contested before the Caen administrative court by some residents and the 
association Citizens in Struggle Ouistreham[3]. On February 22, the 
squat's residents, along with several organizations and associations 
providing assistance, organized a support evening with a meal prepared 
by the Zaghawas, a concert by rapper Hug*, and a DJ set: it was a 
wonderful moment combining joy, solidarity, and sharing. On March 3, we 
gathered at the Caen Administrative Court and attended the hearing in 
defense of the two residential areas[4]; on the 5th, the judge suspended 
the prefecture's eviction order due to the lack of a social 
investigation. The Sudanese residents were thus granted a reprieve in 
the middle of winter.

Miscarriage of Justice
However, on March 20, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, supported and 
backed by Romain Bail, the xenophobic mayor of Ouistreham, filed an 
appeal with the Council of State to overturn the decision of the Caen 
Administrative Court and allow the rapid eviction of the residential 
areas. The hearing was scheduled for the end of May, but neither the 
associations nor the squatters had been informed of the hearing date. We 
therefore requested a rehearing of the case; the new hearing was set for 
early July.

Between the end of March and the beginning of July, the association 
Citoyen·nes en lutte Ouistreham, of which UCL members are members, was 
present every day with the exiles as it has been for the past five 
years, to bring food and spend a little time with them, but also to 
offer them activities or outings. We had planned a charity weekend on 
April 19th and 20th, featuring a soccer tournament, beach games, a 
meal/concert, a screening, and a discussion. However, the Sudanese 
people canceled this event following the deadly attacks on the Zamzam 
camp in North Darfur by the Janjaweed (General Hemetti's genocidal 
militias). We shared their grief and supported them as best we could, 
including organizing several shared meals between May and July. We also 
organized a screening of the film Soudan souviens toi on May 16th, with 
director Hind Meddeb in attendance and in collaboration with the 
arthouse cinema Café des images in Hérouville-Saint-Clair. It was a 
memorable and particularly moving moment, as some of the participants 
shared their stories, which moved many of us.

The hearing before the Council of State was held on July 7th, and on the 
16th, we learned through the press that the squats would be quickly 
evicted. Indeed, on the morning of the 18th, the squats were emptied and 
walled up, forcing these young men back into their former makeshift 
camp. The Prefect of Calvados, the Ministry of the Interior, and the 
Mayor of Ouistreham decided to make their lives impossible, while homes 
have been empty and unoccupied for years, like the one at Pointe du 
Siege in Ouistreham, a former squat closed in October 2022 and still 
walled up to this day: yet another scandal perpetrated by these 
heartless people.

UCL Caen will continue to provide its full support to the comrades who 
tirelessly fight for the dignity of exiles in Caen and the surrounding 
area, and will stand alongside the Sudanese people of Ouistreham in 
solidarity and mutual aid. A roof over your head is a right!

Val (UCL Caen)

Validate

[1]Mélisande Queïnnec, "Infographics. 150,000 vacant homes in Normandy: 
the keys to understanding the explosion in the number of empty 
dwellings," France 3 Normandie, January 17, 2024.

[2]See the investigation by Marylene Carre, "The emergency shelter 
fiasco in Caen: the fall of the Laborie 2/2 house," Le Poulpe, January 
16, 2025.

[3]Support collective for Citizens in Struggle Ouistreham on Facebook.

[4]Present alongside the Sudanese exiles were: the Citizens in Struggle 
Ouistreham collective, the Ouistreham Migrant Aid Collective, the 
General Assembly to Fight Against All Evictions, Cimade, and the Exiles 
Solidarity Coordination.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Ouistreham-Les-exiles-soudanais-de-nouveau-sans-toit
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