Heroism amid battle over camp evacuation

Interior minister, Paris mayor head butt over refugee tent cities that have come up

The act of heroism by illegal Malian immigrant Mamoudou Gassama comes as French lawmakers debate a controversial bill that would speed up the deportation of economic migrants and failed asylum seekers.

Europe has faced a refugee crisis since 2015 following wars in Libya and Syria and more than 1 million people from Africa and the Middle East have tried to reach the continent via Turkey or by sea.

French President Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, has taken a tough line on economic migrants fleeing poverty rather than refugees escaping war or persecution. His government has said it wants to be both firm and fair on immigration but it took a tougher stance lately, with parliament approving a bill that tightens asylum rules.

Police are preparing to dismantle makeshift camps holding close to 2,500 refugees in the French capital.

A burgeoning encampment in far northeast Paris, on a canal used by joggers and cyclists, is the focal point of a debate pitting French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb against Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo over how best to respond to the unrelenting arrival of homeless newcomers — with humanity or muscle.

France’s quandary is shared by other European nations seeking to manage the stream of new arrivals, which has ebbed since the mass Syrian refugee crisis a few years ago but remains a steady challenge.

Expressing “regret” at Hidalgo’s refusal to take the necessary steps to allow police to evacuate the migrants, Collomb said he had no choice but to order the removal of the estimated 1,400 people living at the largest camp and others around Paris. His order is expected to be carried out.