Emmanuel Macron is accused of 'social cleansing' and 'hiding poverty' as ... trends now
Standing in front of Paris City Hall and its Olympics Host City sign, hundreds of homeless young men know they are not welcome in the French capital.
All were sleeping rough by the River Seine, before riot policemen stormed in to smash up their tents.
Social workers took as many names as possible, before all were herded on to coaches and driven hundreds of miles away.
This is now a regular occurrence in Emmanuel Macron’s France, as the President is accused of ‘social cleansing’ and ‘hiding poverty’ in time for the multi-billion pound summer Olympics.
‘We’re all living in fear – they just don’t want us here,’ a rough sleeper who asked to be referred to as Okot, 22, told MailOnline.
Macron is accused of ‘social cleansing’ and ‘hiding poverty’ in time for the multi-billion pound summer Olympics
One homeless man said he was 'living in fear'
President Macron has certainly staked his reputation on the success of the Paris 2024 sporting extravaganza
Emmanuel Macron has given the Paris Olympics a £4bn operating budget
Saying he came from war-torn Sudan, Okot wants to lodge a claim for asylum in France, but has little hope of getting accommodation while he waits.
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‘This how I ended up on the street,’ he said. ‘It’s not because I have been in any kind of trouble with drugs or alcohol.
‘I have been in Paris for about six weeks, but I know plenty of others who have been here far longer.
‘We see the Olympic signs everywhere, and we know there is no place for us here because of the games.’
President Macron has certainly staked his reputation on the success of the Paris 2024 sporting extravaganza.
It does not open until July 26th, but the head of state is already calling it ‘a moment of beauty, true art, and a celebration of sport and our values.’
It is the first European games since London 2012, and Mr Macron wants it to be even bigger and better.
This is why the operating budget was set at the equivalent of more than £4billion, and this figure can be doubled to £8billion when the cost of new buildings such as a state-of-the-art aquatic centre are added.
Much of this enormous sum is being provided by the private sector, including some of the richest multinationals in the world, such as Paris-based luxury goods group LVMH.
Barges from all participating nations are due to glide down the River Seine for a glamorous Opening Ceremony, for which no expense is being stayed.
A few tickets are still available – at a cost of €1600 (£1450) or up to €7500 (£6400) for those who want a hospitality package for the event, which lasts just over three hours.
Parisians have rioted over Macron's handling of the Olympics
Illegal camps are still dotted along the Seine, but there are raids by the police most mornings
A new report by a charity group called Le Revers de la Medaille (The Other Side of the Coin) claims that evictions are on the increase
Luc Viger, head of unaccompanied minors at Utopia 56, the migrant charity, said camp evacuations were definitely increasing in the run-up to the Olympics
‘When people are spending that kind of money, they really don’t want poor
