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A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 8 OcTOber 2019
Macron shifts right on immigration as asylum demands grow

PARIS (AP) — French law- my mind does not ac-
makers are grappling with cept France," he said. "I'm
one of the country's thorni- afraid."
est issues. Inside the gilded chamber
On Monday, they began of France's National Assem-
debating immigration, at a bly, lawmakers debated
time when tent cities have how the country should
expanded in urban areas treat immigrants like Jan.
across the country and asy- "Today, the French asy-
lum demands are spiking. lum system is saturated,"
With municipal elections Philippe told lawmakers.
months away, President Improving the welcome for
Emmanuel Macron has new arrivals means improv-
pledged to confront immi- ing their integration.
gration head-on during the France, he said "must not
second half of his term. be more or less attractive
A new immigration law was than its neighbors ... We
passed in 2018, but Macron must face reality, without
made clear last month that any taboo, methodically,
he intends to further tough- without renouncing any of
en his stance, describing our principles."
immigration as a "working Philippe presented six top-
class" problem and ap- French far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen attends a debate on immigration reform, at ics for consideration, in-
pealing to lawmakers not the National Assembly, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. cluding restricting asylum
to cede the issue to the far Associated Press seekers' access to social
right. services.
Quotas — a nearly taboo tas might be instituted. ingly backlogged and Mohammed Jan, a Paki- Ministers stressed that 30%
word in some political quar- Asylum requests have fall- convoluted asylum system stani asylum seeker who ar- of asylum seekers in France
ters — aren't off the table, en across Europe since the has left migrants vulner- rived in France last month, previously applied for asy-
Prime Minister Edouard 2015 migration crisis. But in able, waiting on the streets has been sleeping in a park lum elsewhere in Europe
Philippe said in a speech France, they've continued for weeks or even years. while his wife seeks treat- — meaning that France
opening the debate. to climb, reaching more Near the Porte de la Cha- ment for a medical condi- should not bear responsibil-
"I'm not afraid of reflect- than 123,000 in 2018, ac- pelle in northern Paris, mi- tion. He said he struggles to ity for them, according to
ing on the idea of quotas," cording to government grants line up each morn- find decent food and often an EU accord.
he told lawmakers, adding statistics. Philippe said that ing for a plastic cup of cof- awakens to mice and rain Some politicians on the
that he does not envisage represents an increase of fee, bread, and, for some, seeping through cracks in right are pushing to elimi-
quotas for asylum seekers 22% compared with 2017. news about their asylum his tent. nate state medical assis-
but left unclear where quo- Aid workers say an increas- applications. "My eyes see France, but tance for migrants. q

Climate protests block roads across Europe to demand action

BERLIN (AP) — Activists with blocked Victoria Embank- to an elevated road over
the Extinction Rebellion ment, outside the Ministry a major artery in the Ma-
movement blocked major of Defense. drid, snarling traffic during
roads across major Europe- Among those arrested was the morning rush hour. The
an cities Monday, kicking 81-year-old Sarah Lasenby, National Police said 33 ac-
off a wide-ranging series of a retired social worker from tivists were taken to their
protests demanding much Oxford. premises and three were
more urgent action against "It is imperative the govern- arrested for resisting orders
climate change. ment should take serious by anti-riot officers.
In Berlin, around 1,000 peo- actions and put pressure A few hundred other pro-
ple blocked the Grosser on other states and global testers camped out in 40
Stern, a traffic circle in the powers to radically reduce tents at the gates of Spain's
middle of the German cap- the use of fossil fuels," she Ministry of Ecological Transi-
ital's Tiergarten park domi- said. tion.
nated by the landmark Vic- In Amsterdam, hundreds of Those at the Berlin protests
tory Column. That protest demonstrators blocked a included activist Carola
began before dawn. major road outside the Ri- Rackete, best known as the
At Monday lunchtime, an- A man wearing a gas mask stand on top of a car as other dem- jksmuseum, one of the city's German captain of a hu-
onstrators block Trafalgar Square in central London Monday,
other 300 people blocked Oct. 7, 2019. most popular tourist attrac- manitarian rescue ship who
Berlin's central Potsdamer Associated Press tions, and set up tents. The was arrested for docking in
Platz, placing couches, ta- protest went ahead de- an Italian port without au-
bles, chairs and flowerpots protests, reflecting dissatis- tivities designed to disrupt spite a city ban on activists thorization this year to dis-
on the road. Police said the faction with a climate pol- the city. gathering on the road. The embark migrants rescued
protests were peaceful. icy package drawn up last London police said some protesters ignored police at sea.
Members of Extinction Re- month by her government. 135 climate activists had calls for them to move to a "We must stay here and
bellion over the weekend Demonstrators playing steel been arrested. Extinction nearby square. rebel until the government
set up a tent camp outside drums marched through Rebellion said protesters In Spain, a few dozen ac- proclaims an ecological
Chancellor Angela Merkel's central London as they from the XR Peace group tivists briefly chained them- emergency and acts ac-
office to prepare for the kicked off two weeks of ac- were arrested as they selves to each other and cordingly," Rackete said.q