Illeg. Immigrants Swarm In To Paris Basilica Daring Authorities To Evict Them

The Sydney Morning Herald ^ | August 21,2002 | staff writer//The Telegraph, London

[yankeedame]

Immigrants find haven in church of kings

August 21 2002

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have descended on Paris's Basilica of Saint-Denis, the burial place of France's kings, and are taunting the authorities to evict them forcibly from such a sacred site.

The basilica's priest said he would not let the police in to drag away his "guests", and that he had the support of his bishop.

The immigrants, mainly from Africa and eastern Europe, say they are sick of grappling through France's bureaucracy and want to be given proper working and residency permits.

Nearly 150 of them, some of whom have been in France for years, have set up camp in the basilica, and many more are on their way. Tourists must now step around the immigrants' sleeping bags and cookers, children lying on the stone floor and small groups chanting slogans to the tune of the Marseillaise.

All but three French kings between 900 and the Revolution were buried in the basilica, and many are commemorated with statues and elaborate tombs.

The immigrants began moving into the basilica at the weekend, with the support of its priest and bishop, under the direction of an immigrant group, Co-ordination 93. The group's goal is to have the basilica bursting with illegal immigrants by Saturday, the sixth anniversary of a police invasion of the church of St Bernard in northern Paris, which was occupied by about 300 immigrants for several months.

Father Bernard Berger, the priest at Saint-Denis, said on Monday: "All those who leave their countries do so because they must, because there is no work, or because of political or military dangers or reprisals. And it is never fun to be forced out of one's own country."

The Telegraph, London

[yankeedame]

Uh...considering most (if not all) of these people are from the Third World and considering the Basilica was not set up to accomodate so many people-- sanitation wise-- what about the hygiene aspect of this occupation?

I would think the French government could use that as grounds of evicting those "refugees".

[Junior]

Unfortunately, there is the rule of "sanctuary."

[Constitution Day]

Father Bernard Berger, the priest at Saint-Denis, said on Monday: "All those who leave their countries do so because they must, because there is no work, or because of political or military dangers or reprisals. And it is never fun to be forced out of one's own country."

Tell that to the Huguenots.

[Desdemona]

Cooking in a Basilica? Why is it people run to the church only when they need it for their own ends?

This is NOT the purpose of sanctuary. But it does have to be honored.

[oline]

"...what about the hygiene aspect of this occupation?"


The French caring about hygiene? HA!

[robowombat]

Perhaps the reincartion of St. Louis and some of his crusader comrads might be more appropriate.

[traditionalist]

This makes me sick.

[SpinyNorman]

Couldn't happen to a better bunch!!

As for hygiene, have you ever heard of a French pissoir? They effectively urinate in the street!

[Dakmar]

Charles Martel would be a good choice.

[Bikers4Bush]

Shoot them where they stand.

[Consort]

Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

[Barnacle]

Ain't diversity a beautiful thing?

Coming to a country near you!

[glc1173@aol.com]

"what about the hygiene aspect of this occupation?"

Doesn't France have fire laws regarding maximum occupancy of any structure - like the ones you see posted in most all American restaurants? That alone would be excellent grounds for shutting this down!

French officials now have a choice - end this now, or have every commie priest in France running his own "sanctuary" for illegal aliens next week and find that France has thus lost any control of immigration policy.

IMMIGRATION resource library - with public-health facts of immigration!

[livius]

This has happened in several places. A few weeks ago, a group of several hundred "immigrants" took over a university building in Southern Spain to make their demands, with the complicity of the university authorities, of course. However, after it became obvious that the number of illegals (mostly Algerians and Morroccans) was gradually increasing as more filtered in at night, coupled with the surge in crime in the area as the immigrants made little sorties to look for drugs and prostitutes, the university officials changed their minds and called for the police to dislodge the occupiers. Some of them, about 40 who had their papers in order or had been in the process of applying for legal status, were permitted to stay in Spain, but the rest were deported.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

I wonder if any of these refugees are Catholic.

My guess is that they are not, in which case this is a rare instance when Moslems have captured a Christian church with the willing support of the idiot clergy who are supposed to be serving it. Soon, the muezzin will be calling "the faithful" to prayer from the bell tower. If Christians had always been such gutless curs it would not have been necessary for the Turks to actually besiege Constantinople. They need only have staged a sit-in in Hagia Sophia.

I find myself becoming increasingly anti-clerical.

[andy_card]

The Basillica is divided into two parts: a church, and the larger state-run museum housing all the kings and queens. All that divides the two is a knotted rope, if I recall correctly. If any immigrants should stray into the French government's section, I don't see what possible arguments they could use to avoid arrest.

[F16Fighter]

One could only imagine Christians "swarming" into a Mosque in the Middle East and "taunting" Moslems to evict them.

These people are a blight upon the West.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Father Bernard Berger, the priest at Saint-Denis, said on Monday: "All those who leave their countries do so because they must, because there is no work, or because of political or military dangers or reprisals. And it is never fun to be forced out of one's own country."

They left because they are spineless, opportunistic predators seeking to steal the wealth accumulated by the productive.

[Fenris3]

"They left because they are spineless, opportunistic predators seeking to steal the wealth accumulated by the productive."

Which reminds me...I know we recently completed renovations on the Statue of Liberty a few years ago, but would it be possible to go back and replace her torch with a sword?