“no, it’s clear, I don’t want to receive refugees with us”, Christian Estrosi’s proposals are controversial

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, spoke on RTL on Wednesday August 18 about the arrival of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. The mayor opposes the reception of Afghan refugees, he advocates “migration quotas”.

Since the resumption of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan on Sunday August 15, thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country.

Kabul airport was stormed. Like on this video, where they try to hang on to American planes leaving the territory, after the fall of the capital:

Since the speeches of the President of the Republic on Monday August 16, several mayors have presented themselves in favor of welcoming Afghan refugees, including the mayor (EELV) of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, or that of Grenoble, Éric Piolle.

“No, I don’t want to receive refugees here, that’s clear”

A position contested by the mayor (LR) of Nice Christian Estrosi. On RTL, he announced on Wednesday that he did not want to welcome Afghan refugees in Nice, “no, I do not want to receive refugees here, that’s clear” he declared. Before adding: “our city has been a victim of terrorism in recent years in a considerable way with the attack of July 14 on the Promenade des Anglais and that of the Notre-Dame basilica.”

A decision supported by the municipal deputy Pierre-Paul Leonelli: “I support the position of Christian Estrosi, concerning his refusal to welcome Afghan refugees in Nice. The solution must finally go through a national system endorsed by the authorized to avoid hasty and approximate decisions.”

But the comparison between refugees and terrorists has challenged public opinion on social networks. On Twitter, the mayor’s statement does not pass:

Some Nice people were also indignant at the comments made by the mayor of the city. And the opposition elected officials did not fail to react, in particular Hélène Granouillac:

“When you are president of a metropolis, I do not understand how you can be so disunited, and not reach out to those who need it. Talking about terrorist attacks in a humanitarian crisis like this it’s very clumsy. The city is certainly bruised, the wounds have not healed, but this is indecent. I’m waiting for the mayor to explain how these two notions, terrorism and solidarity, are to be put in parallel. ”

“Migration quota” and international politics

“I am ready to be part of an international policy”, however explained the elected representative of Nice, believing that the international community “must structure itself”.

The solution desired by Christian Estrosi: a “quota” policy. According to him, applications for the right of asylum must be made in consulates, at borders, and not once on arrival in France. He precised :

An international negotiation must begin on the control and distribution, in a concerted manner

Christian Estrosi also asks that the mayors be associated with the process, in particular for the use of “technological means” (such as facial recognition thanks to video surveillance cameras), in order to better control the identity of people “on file” or without certainty as to to their “country of origin”. A measure still very indicated in France.

Despite the hostile declarations of the mayor of Nice, a mobilization in support of the Afghans is organized in the city by the collective terre bleue, on August 31st.

The state’s position in the face of this crisis

In his speech on August 16, President Emmanuel Macron mentioned “an initiative to build a robust, coordinated response without delay” to fight against these “irregular migratory flows”, an expression which also shocked and caused many personalities to react.

“What I said this evening about Afghanistan and that some want to divert: France is doing and determined to do its duty to protect those who are most threatened,” he said in a tweet:

Towards the populations directly threatened, the President did not fail to highlight the efforts undertaken to evacuate French nationals as well as Afghans who have worked for the country:

“It is our duty and our dignity to protect those who help us: interpreters, drivers, cooks and so many others.”

The European Union is also still divided on the reception of refugees. Like France, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she was open to the “controlled” reception of “particularly vulnerable” Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban regime, while admitting the difficulty of finding an agreement. on the subject between European partners. Faced with this crisis, the 27 will therefore have to organize themselves quickly.

Comments are closed.