Vincennes, near Paris - Viva Escape!

nonfides

Nights of 19 and 20 November. - Vincennes detention centre had to be rebuilt, with cameras everywhere, and that building had been in operation for just three days, because three people managed to escape. Good news!

"They arrested me at the prefecture, when I submitted my receipt for the renewal of the receipt[request for a residence permit]. They took my passport. They wanted to send me straight to the airport, then I made an asylum application to block the expulsion. I know that the application will not be accepted: Mali is not at war. I was already arrested two years ago, but I refused to board the plane. I've been here three days, yesterday two people tried to flee. The conditions here are bad, you have to wait, always wait for anything. All crazy, three people fled from building 1. We cannot communicate with those other buildings. The escape was at night, between two and three in the morning, the police were running everywhere, I was sleeping. We were woken up. Beating on every door. Two were taken. One of them was cut on the arms, belly and feet from trying to pass the net, it was serious because of the barbed wire. He did not want to go back to his cell on the first floor, wanted to stay down in the refectory, was without shoes, naked only in boxers, was tortured like a dog.

Here we must take medicines to sleep, there are bums, junkies, it's too hard, there are fights all the time. People have made their entire life here and must leave, leave everything, it's too hard. Everyone is angry, the police come and go all the time from the rooms, you cannot sleep, cannot stay out in the cold and you see nothing but wire fences. We are many in this building, we cannot eat as we want or even call our families. The social worker is not always here: is there on Saturday but not Sunday, and arrives late on Monday.
People are angry, that's why they have refused to go see the doctor. "(newspaper article)

"Good evening, all that the article says is true. Some guys helped those others to flee, they broke the window pane, helped them escape. They did it because the guys who ran away were to be expelled. You know, they are Algerians and there is chaos with their country, whereas the others didn't follow them because they think they cannot be deported and will do their 32 days [before being released]."

fermeturetention@yahoo.fr, November 21, 2010.