Despite the odds against them, they took their place. Opponents of the installation of a home for unaccompanied minors (UMAs) in Maignelay-Montigny demonstrated on site on Saturday December 28. Around thirty people gathered in a collective carried out their first action on rue François-Mitterrand, in front of a former home/residence for the elderly. This will have to be redeveloped to accommodate, in the long term, young migrants on the Picard Plateau.
For the members of this collective, “50 unaccompanied minors in a village of 2,500 inhabitants is not necessarily compatible. “We ask ourselves lots of questions and we don’t necessarily have the answers,” adds Cédric Roger, member of the group. This took shape on social networks in September. It has since grown to around 450 members.
Unaccompanied Minors, “source of delinquency?”
The project comes from the Oise departmental council, with SAHLM, owner of the site, and Coallia. One of the criticisms made to the departmental services concerns the fact that opponents of the operation consider themselves faced with a fait accompli. Above all, the members of the collective fear for the safety of the inhabitants of Maignelay.
“We did a little research and we know what is happening across France in this type of structure,” continues Cédric Roger. “We know that very often – not all – MMA is a source of problems. By that I mean a source of delinquency.”
“What are they going to do in the evening?”
He adds: “What are they going to do in the evening? We have nothing to welcome them. What will they do in the evening except wander the streets? What will they do during the day if they are not in school?
Opponents could have the beginnings of an answer after the holidays. A meeting with an elected official in charge of the project could be considered in January 2025. The discussions and reactions could prove to be as fresh, perhaps more so, than this morning of mobilization.
