Vol. 28 No. 308 (2024)

Priorities
In 2015, a majority of Hamburg citizens voted against the city's bid to host the Olympics. They understood that the millionaire budget that was going to be allocated to the construction of stadiums and other facilities should be allocated to social projects. The arrival of refugees highlighted the lack of shelters and the need for public power to address this urgency.
At that same time, the hegemonic media instilled intense nationalist feelings in the citizens of Paris to create an environment favorable to the city's candidacy, which these days presents a monumental housing deficit as a result of the absence of reasonable policies that deal with solving the problem. that impacts thousands of homeless people. According to activists from different humanitarian organizations, the next Olympic event is being used by government power as a pretext to displace homeless people to other regions. They decided to transfer hundreds of immigrants living on the streets to other cities in France, showing an evident improvisation and lack of interest in supporting people who arrive escaping wars and famines, largely originating from their own colonial policies.
Paris is preparing to receive thousands of spectators and for the authorities one of the priorities is to eliminate homeless people from the party, even for those days, so that they do not visually contaminate the city of love. Very far from the Olympic ideal that advocates a peaceful society committed to the maintenance of human dignity, the International Olympic Committee should take it into account when designating a venue.
Tulio Guterman, Director - January 2024

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