The evicted women, men and children of La Courneuve and the association "Droit au Logement" (Right to Housing), a member of the No Vox network, call on international solidarity to protest against the police violence and demand the rehousing of the evicted and the legalisation of those without papers.

On July 8, 2010, 235 people including 45 children were evicted from their housing in the Honoré de Balzac building in La Courneuve, a Paris suburb. The building is due to be demolished. Finding themselves in the street without any durable solution in sight, the families camped out in front of the building from which they had been evicted to demand their rehousing.

On July 21 in the morning, the police evacuated the camp on the orders of the Prefect of the Seine-Saint-Denis (department where the suburb is situated). The police intervention began with the arrest and detention of the spokesperson of Droit au Logement, Jean-Baptiste Eyraud and the evacuation of the only journalist present. The video of the evacuation, visible on the internet, shows the violence which the police employed. Pregnant women were roughly handled, children dragged on the ground and people were injured. All were led to a police station for an ID check before being freed in the evening.

Video of the evacuation :

The video images of the evacuation are shocking enough to have been broadcast by television media around the world and a movement of international solidarity has started. A rally already took place last Monday in front of the French embassy in Poland.

To protest against the police violence, to demand the rehousing of the evicted and the legalisation of the people without papers, the evicted and the DAL ask the entire No Vox network to send faxes to the French embassies of their countries, and if possible to organise rallies at their doorsteps. A petition is on line on the Dal site (here : http://www.droitaulogement.org/peti...).

Thanks to send an e-mail to no-vox@no-vox.org to tell of your fax or rallies. List of french embassy and consul here : http://www.mfe.org/index.php/Annuai...

Model of a fax

To the attention of Mr or Ms the Ambassador of France in...

We (name of the organisation) have been informed by the No Vox network of the situation of the 190 adults and 45 children evicted from the Honoré de Balzac housing block in La Courneuve, France on July 8th last and the extremely violent conditions under which they were displaced from their campsite on July 21st. By the present, we protest against the police brutality, shocking and unjustifiable, and demand that the families be rehoused as urgently as possible, and residence and working papers for those who do not have them. In international solidarity,

XXX (name of organisation)