Who Welcomes Who?

It’s true, the government is doing its best to welcome them. It passed measures after measures to attract them. Nice homes, world class high schools for their kids, and even the right to use their own language in court, under their country’s law. Not to forget tax cuts evaluated at a few hundred million euros… Who is getting so much love from the Macron/Philippe government? The Syrian, Afghan, and Sudanese migrants? No. All this is for bankers and traders from the City of London.

The holy union to welcome the financial world

The government is moving forward, with Paris socialist mayor Hidalgo and regional council republican president Pecresse, to welcome in Paris the rich British traders and bankers who are spooked by Brexit. Last Friday, incentive measures were heavily directed at the London financial world. As a welcoming gift: removal of the 20% tax bump for incomes above €150,000 yearly. Same thing for some taxes on financial transactions, and other measures.

As Emmanuel Macron says, it is “our tradition and our honor” to welcome people in our country. But not anyone! Immigrants with a wallet containing more than €150,000 are welcome. Not those who risk their lives to come from the other side of the Mediterranean.

From updated five star hotel to “naturalized” slum

The migrants of the financial world get luxurious hotels, like the Crillon on the place de la Concorde, recently refurbished for just €100 millions. As for the migrants who crossed the desert, were enslaved or tortured in Libya, who fled civil wars or dictatorships backed by France, and survived the death ships on the Mediterranean, they get rats and scabies on the Paris asphalt or the Calais slums, with a healthy dose of police harassment on the side. “We wouldn’t have left 2,000 cats to die there” summed up a migrant who was expelled from La Chapelle, a northern Paris neighborhood where, last Friday, police proceeded to the 34th evacuation in two years. The camp dismantlement will be followed by no real outcome for the evacuated migrants than another evacuation after being “triaged” somewhere far away. So the slums of La Chapelle or Calais will be full again, whether or not they are classified into an “exceptional natural site” to protect… birds, as the government is planning for Calais!

What is the “solution” to this problem for the European governments? Increase funding for the Libyan coast guards, even though Amnesty International accuses them of committing acts of violence on migrants. They will get €46 millions to hide outside Europe the misery caused by the imperialist countries’ governments, who do not wish to see this misery.

Ships belonging to humanitarian organisations might be banned from cruising by the Libyan shores. Those who survived desert crossing and torture in Libya can get death in the Mediterranean. Traders of the City get incentives.

Brave new world

In these days of heat wave, the financial world and big business are delighted: the economic situation is ideal for multiplying profits.

The 30% increase in dividend distributed to stockholders could just be an appetizer. But inequalities are on the rise everywhere. Increased profits for some, decrees and Work Law against the others; woe betide the weaker. One the one side, freedom of movement and royal welcome; on the other side, walls, barbed wires, or drowning for our brothers, the refugees fleeing war and misery. This world is upside down; we need to overturn it with solidarity between the exploited and oppressed.

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