Swimming pools occupied by migrants France at the mercy of

Swimming pools occupied by migrants: France at the mercy of the gangs

It does not matter whether it is a public or private institution. Under the scorching August sun, the vandals they are not too subtle. if they see one Swimming pool easily accessible, they go on the offensive: occupying it as if it were their property, camping, smoking, damaging it and, in some cases, looting what they find. The alarming phenomenon is spreading in France, where hordes of young people – mostly minors and from multi-ethnic suburbs – are becoming the protagonists of raids illegal raids in the swimming pools, with insults and even aggression towards the owners or the caretakers who in vain ask them to leave.

In the country across the Alps, the local press has been documenting a number of cases of “piscines squattés” (actually occupied swimming pools) for weeks, collecting testimonies and stories about another sign of social degradation. According to documentation, often very young bands migrants (the majority reportedly of North African descent) go on evening forays, capitalizing on the assumption of the pools’ owners. They climb over the gates of their houses, breach the fences and don’t give a damn about the alarm systems: once inside, the illegal bivouac begins. Between dives and schimazzi there is no lack of alcohol and smoking. Allô Toulouse, a platform through which residents can report any type of disturbance, has received 200 complaints of violations in the pool only in the last three months.

So the phenomenon is by no means marginal and not entirely unprecedented. In fact, some disgruntled citizens recall that this trend has been evident for the past several years. When burglaries taking place in public swimming pools, explains the newspaper La Dépêche du Midi, “the police will be contacted so that they can intervene as soon as possible”. Although difficult, the problem is contained. In case of private apartments (moreover, the most coveted of the gangs), the situation is more complicated: the responsibility for security lies primarily with the owners and the agents intervene only in the event of violence, which is not lacking. In Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, the squatters who used the swimming pool bet a knife upon the owners when they arrived, and police later found items stolen from the home.

If a trespass is found, the squatters are in danger A fine of 15,000 euros and up to one year imprisonment. But as I said, the police don’t always have the means to stop the occupiers. “When we talk to these young people, they say, ‘Come on, let’s not make any noise.’ And sometimes they scold us: ‘Go back in the house, you ugly idiot.’ I called the police once because there were two boys. They were yelling at each other with some alcohol in their hands and there was a little girl next to them. The police didn’t come. They tell us there is nothing they can do,” Ingrid, a resident of a residence in Toulouse, told the French Press. The website Guide-piscine.fr, which offers advice for people wanting to build a swimming pool, states that “in the summer there are 10 to 15 calls to the police every day about pool occupancy, particularly in the south of France”.

In many cases, homeowners automatically run for cover. “We raised the gate to prevent them from climbing over it and we put two chains on the pool door so nobody can get in. Also, the lifeguard recently brought us barbed wire,” he told French press David, owner of a residence in Toulouse. Others are taking steps to install pool alarms or locking systems. In some cases someone also considers armed surveillance to protect their property.