“We are frightened in our own country.” Women living in a heavily migrant-populated Paris areas, who complained about constant harassment from Muslim men last year, are now saying the situation has become even worse, with some refusing to even leave their homes by themselves.
Last year a group of local women signed a petition in a futile attempt to call attention to the situation in the Chapelle-Pajol district in northern Paris, but now they claim the situation has become even worse than before, Le Parisienreports. The area adjacent to La Chapelle subway station has turned into a dangerous no-go zone for women and girls.
“The situation has worsened. Of course, since these men are more and more numerous. Like many others, I gave up taking the metro to La Chapelle, to cross the square … Even at a running pace,” a local woman who did not wish to be identified said.
French women took to the streets to protest at what they say has become an all-Muslim male “no-go zone”, where any female daring to venture out alone is subject to severe sexual harassment, or worse
“And do not talk about cafes. They do not say ‘Women Prohibited’ on the front, of course, but who would risk it? The police are more present, it’s true, but the fights are also more and more numerous and violent. I have the impression that these traffickers won the game: they took possession of the place,” she added.
Others have referred to the area as “Hell” due to the rampant criminality, with Loïc Guezo, president of the association Demain la Chapelle describing the change in the area over the past several years: “In just a few years, what was an island of tranquility has become an area of lawlessness, where the criminal activity grows and hardens,” he said.
A France 2 journalist travelled to a neighborhood in Lyon, where the streets are apparently shown to be occupied almost solely by Muslim men. A young, white woman who works as a child caregiver, says she wouldn’t dream of wearing a skirt or make-up outside in the area, and that she does her best to go unnoticed. Asked why, she tells the programme: “Simply, we are afraid.”
The journalist told franceinfo: “They are afraid, they have already spoken out in many cities, and were insulted and assaulted. So now to avoid threats, and being put under pressure, they censor themselves and keep quiet.”
The area adjacent to La Chapelle subway station has turned into a dangerous no-go zone for women and girls.
Trafficking and illegal trade began to set in 2014 and 2015 near the first camp of migrants in Paris, installed at that time Boulevard de la Chapelle,” Guezo added.
Despite increased police presence in the area, there has been little sign of crime slowing down, with officers stopping and searching 2618 individuals in the first eight months of 2018 and arresting 226. The summer also saw increased violence in the area with five mass brawls involving traffickers armed with knives and iron bars.
So far, despite optimism from some local politicians, no solution has come to the problem of criminality in the area, although Paris police have made some progress tackling Moroccan underage gangs after co-operating with Moroccan police.
In the below video (French), France2 did an undercover report in a bar in the town of Sevran in Seine-Saint-Denis which implicitly prohibits the presence of women.
France 2 journalists decided to follow two activists of the “Brigade of Mothers” who try to ensure that the rights of women in the neighborhoods. With a hidden camera, the two women visit a cafe in a “sensitive” (“sensitive” in this case actually means Muslim migrant) area.
Upon entering, they were quickly told: “Looking for something lady? A gentleman?” “It’s best to wait outside. There are only men in this cafe.”
Well, France could always do what countries like France and most at
the UN are always demanding that Israel do:
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