Zap of Gaymard
Just as French Health Minster Gaymard was about to speak at a Plenary
session, ACT UP/Paris stormed the stage and condemned French official policy
of deporting HIV+ undocumented residents.
Gaymard, you are an AIDS Criminal!
Undocumented aliens sentenced to death
The fate of so-called illegal aliens in French overseas territories is a
grim caricature of the fate of migrant populations elsewhere in the country:
while trying to limit immigration, the French government actually threatens
their survival. Illegal aliens, whose rate of HIV infection is especially
high, are forbidden access to health care facilities, which are insufficient
anyway.
While they are economically exploited, they are not entitled to any social
benefits or health insurance: they are offered no alternative to clandestine
labor, which is profitable to employers and is tacitly encouraged by the
state. State benefits for hospitalized persons, which, by law, may be granted
to illegal aliens, are almost universally denied to them. In addition, no
efforts are made to prevent the spread of HIV among migrant populations.
In practice, French overseas territories serve as a testing ground for the
French government's policy of repression.
By carrying out massive expulsions, setting up detention camps, raiding
places known to be frequented by illegal aliens and carrying out supposedly
" random " indentity checks which somehow always target "
foreign-looking " individuals, police authorities show themselves eager
to make the government's insane dream of " zero immigration "
come true.
In the midst of the AIDS crisis, this policy amounts to a death sentence
for illegal aliens. It entirely disregards health-related issues: French
authorities deport persons with severe health problems, and they routinely
inform foreign police of their health status, showing no regard for confidentiality.
In addition, the French government's policy of repression makes it impossible
to address public health issues surrounding migrant populations: police
interfere with medical decisions and patrol the vicinity of clinics and
hospitals, thus deterring many from seeking vital care.
Act Up-Paris demands that:
- All the laws which serve as a basis for the French government's policy
of repression against illegal aliens be repealed, on the grounds that they
are incompatible with the fight against AIDS.
- deportation of foreign citizens with severe health problems be made
illegal, and that they be granted a permanent visa and a work permit.
Gaymard - Shame, Shame, Shame!
For more information, see ACT
UP/Paris
