Montreuil (France) – Every day, many people who do not have Western papers try to cross French borders, to enter or leave the national territory. By foot, by truck, by train, by boat, by bus, by car, they cross the lines drawn by the Western states to better establish their domination.
On the roads, a whole repressive arsenal is put in place to try to block or slow down people : the PAF (Air and Border Police), the gendarmerie, the military … many agents of the State in charge of harassing and chasing people trying to cross these borders. Posted on roads, paths, beaches, in the mountains and in train stations, they pursue, arrest, teargas, beat up and intimidate.
On the roads, we see the violence of the French administration, the incomprehensible and endless procedures which lead nowhere, the hours of waiting, the inquisitorial interviews, the refusals and push backs.
On the road, we see the CRAs (administrative detention centers), the violence of imprisonment, the hasty and unfair judgments, the forced expulsion from french territory. [Read More]