Opponents of France's immigration reform protest law that 'disfigures the Republic'
The government’s new immigration reform seeks to clamp down on illegal migration but critics say it runs counter to France’s egalitarian principles. Ahead of a court decision on whether the law respects the constitution, opponents are taking to the streets to call for its withdrawal.
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Demonstrations against a law "inspired by the ideas of the far right” were held in some 30 cities in France last Sunday, organised by collectives of undocumented immigrants, unions and left-wing parties.
In Paris, several thousand people marched in protest over reforms that will severely tighten the conditions for non-EU immigrants to arrive and live in France.
Many people carried placards denouncing the “Darmanin law”, named after Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin who instigated it.
Among the most contentious provisions – access to family reunification and social benefits will be much harder for non-EU immigrants, immigration quotas will be introduced and birthright citizenship will no longer be automatic at the age of 18.
It also introduces the notion of national preference, defended by the far-right National Rally, whereby benefits and housing should go to the French first.
“The Darmanin law will degrade all our rights and put us in an even more precarious situation,” says Aboubacar Dembélé, a member of a group representing undocumented migrant workers, known in France as sans-papiers.
And since living in France illegally will become a crime punishable by a one-year prison term and €3,750 fine, the law "criminalises all of us” he says. “We demand its withdrawal.”
Listen to a report on the march in the Spotlight on France podcast:
A blot on the republic
The hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) also wants the reform withdrawn.
Marching in solidarity with migrant workers, LFI lawmaker Carlos Bilongo described the law as “abject”.
“It targets non-European immigrants so there’s a clear racial dimension regarding people of African descent,” he says.
Fellow lawmaker Eric Coquerel says the reform runs counter to France’s egalitarian values.
“We cannot imagine that a law that disfigures the republic – that can strip you of your nationality, that introduces national preference and attacks birthright – can get passed like that,” he insists.
“So it’s good to see thousands of people here today to oppose it.”
A vehicle with an inflatable dinghy on its roof led the march – a chilling reminder of the five migrants who died on 13 January in the freezing waters of the English Channel trying to reach the UK from France.
“It’s to show how some people have arrived here and that people who’re crossing the sea are not delinquents," says Mariama Sidibé, spokesperson for the Paris sans-papiers collective.
“We’re simply asking that the Darmanin law be scrapped," the retired careworker said. "It even goes against migrants who’ve got French nationality because when you do something wrong they’ll take it away and send you back home. It means starting out from scratch all over again.”
Anti-migrant sentiment
“We don’t want this kind of society, this racist society,” says migrant rights activist Anais Gournay.
“We want to live together and to accept different cultures.”
Gournay, who works for a charity helping the homeless, also wants to counter growing anti-migrant rhetoric in France, fueled most recently when a radicalised Russian-born young man fatally stabbed a French teacher. French authorities had tried, and failed, to deport him.
“The message in the media is always the same: migrant people are taking jobs, they're dangerous, and the media make a link between immigration and terrorism.
“We don’t have the strength to fight against this message but we’re trying to be together in the street to change the [balance] of power.”
Step in the ‘wrong direction’
The initial version of the immigration reform would have granted permanent residency to migrants working in industries with a shortage of workers – such as construction, catering and cleaning.
But this was dropped under pressure from the conservative Republicans (LR) party and residency permits will now be issued on a case-by-case basis, for just one year, and cannot be transferred from one job to another.
The law is “going in the wrong direction,” says Aurelien Boudon from the Solidaires union.
“The bit of progress we’d made has been rolled back, and instead of the thousands of people given residency permits that we were promised, we fear there’ll only be a few dozen, and all at the discretion of the prefecture.”
It's a blow to Oumar Diawara, who works in the kitchens of a well-known restaurant on the Champs-Elysées.
“My grandfather was a general who fought to defend liberty, equality and fraternity alongside De Gaulle in WWII” he says proudly. “But I still haven’t obtained the right to stay in France.
“I’m here today to say no to the Darmanin law. Tomorrow I’ll be back in the kitchen.”
‘Unwelcoming’ France
“It’s one of the first times that a government passed a law with the far right, so that’s a fair reason to be in the streets today to oppose it,” says Thibault, a 25-year-old government employee who preferred not to give his full name.
President Macron has defended the tough immigration measures as a “necessary shield" to stem the rise of Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Rally.
But Thibault reckons it "gives the image of a country that is not welcoming to foreigners, is closing in on itself and considers foreigners as a threat" in line with other EU countries like Italy and Poland.
And yet, “these people are here, and we need them, so it’s not an issue,” says Aubepine Dahan, founder of Paris Exil – an association that helps migrants settle in France.
"Once you’re here, you need to have the same rights as everybody else otherwise you cannot integrate," she argues.
France is to open 11 new "administrative reception centres" by 2027 to house immigrants awaiting deportation.
Dahan insists that introducing legislation to enable the swift deportation of illegal immigrants is not only undesirable, it just won’t work.
“We know that people don’t go back, so how does the government plan to send back tens of thousands of people every year?", she wonders.
"They don’t have a clue. It’s like closing the borders, it’s impossible.”
Keeping up the pressure
Even within President Macron’s parliamentary group, the immigration reform has proven divisive – some 25 MPs voted against it and the health minister resigned in protest.
Macron has recognised that parts of the law may be unconstitutional and referred it to the Constitutional Council for review.
Tackled over the inequity of the reform in a press conference last Tuesday, Macron said: “We will wait [for the council’s decision] and discuss afterwards.”
The court will deliver its verdict on 25 January. In the meantime, left-wing lawmaker Coquerel believes it’s important to keep up the pressure.
He cites the precedent of the CPE (First Job Contract) in 2006 that allowed employers to sack staff under 26 without justification.
The CPE was passed, but "the mobilisation against it was so big that the law was dropped”.
Whatever happens, Coquerel, like the other protestors, insists the fight will go on.
“I’m not ready to hand my country over to the far right.”
RFI’s Marie Casadebaig contributed to this report.
Listen to more episodes of the Spotlight on France podcast here.
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