Immigrants Evicted From 2 Risky Paris Buildings

Police evicted about 140 mainly African squatters, some sobbing or screaming, from two dilapidated buildings Friday as authorities began a sweep of dwellings deemed fire hazards.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy ordered 60 such buildings closed, after two recent blazes killed dozens of African immigrants this year in the French capital and focused attention on substandard housing.

Police on Friday opened an arson investigation into one of the fires, which killed 17 people last week.

Adults in brightly colored African robes fought to keep police out of one building, pushing on the front door before finally stepping back to admit police with riot shields and truncheons.

“Sarkozy, I don’t know if he has children,” Aoua Sila said after moving her possessions to the entrance of the apartment block.

“What he is doing right now, we’d never do this to mothers or fathers of children!”

Neighbors looked on as families, apparently all from the Ivory Coast, were led into vans to be transferred to temporary accommodation in hotels.

The building owner was reportedly paying for two weeks’ stay in Paris hotels.

The two apartment buildings evacuated Friday had been known to have safety risks, Paris police officials said.

Roger Madec, mayor of the 19th district in northeast Paris, where the second building was located, insisted it was safe and called the evacuation a “miserable operation.”

The evictions come a day after Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin promised new housing to help the poorest.