THOUSANDS of people took to the streets of Paris last night to protest at the removal by force of 300 African illegal immigrants from a church they had occupied for over seven weeks.
The demonstration was organised by the opposition Socialist Party, the Communist Party trade unions and numerous human rights and civil liberties groups, which have been supporting the immigrants in their campaign for residence permits.
Ten of the immigrants were entering their 50th day of hunger strike when more than 1,000 police made a dawn raid on the St Bernard church near Montmartre.
Armed with shields and batons riot police forced their way through hundreds of supporters who had encircled the church. They then used axes to break down the bolted doors and a barricade of furniture the immigrants had erected inside. Tear gas was used to force the immigrants, including 80 children and up to 200 supporters, out of the church.
Inside, parish priest Henri Coindre started a prayer service and told the immigrants to get down on their knees. But all were eventually taken out, some being dragged or handcuffed to police officers.
A number of celebrities were also removed, including the actress Emmanuelle Beart. The 10 hunger strikers were stretchered out and taken to military hospitals. Two of them refused treatment and were immediately arrested and taken to a detention centre.
The other immigrants were bussed to a government detention centre in Vincennes, east of Paris, where their cases were to be examined. Later the Interior Minister, Mr Jean Louis Debre, said between 30 and 40 per cent of the immigrants would be allowed to stay in France, in particular spouses of people who already had permits and those who have children born in France.
The right wing government led by the Gaullist Prime Minister, Mr Alain Juppe, defended the police action, saying the highest administrative tribunal in France, the Council of State, had ruled there could be no mass regularisation of the immigrants' position.
But left wing politicians, the Catholic Church and civil rights groups accused the government of refusing to negotiate. Military planes are to be used in the deportation of the immigrants, which is expected to start this morning.
Earlier in the week, aviation trade unions called on the national carrier, Air France, to refuse to hire out aircraft for expulsions.
It took the police over two hours to remove all the immigrants and Fifty people were arrested. By that time some 2,000 people had gathered and a protest march was held. Minor scuffles broke out and at one point two stations of the underground train, the Metro, were closed.
Mgr Jacques Gaillot, one of France's best known liberal clergymen, condemned the controversial laws, introduced in 1993 and 1994, which are at the centre of the dispute. "All I can say is I am ashamed of France, and angry that the government could not negotiate a solution to the question of immigrants without papers.
There were scenes of emotion and anger around the church of St Bernard throughout the morning. A white man in his 20s, who was inside the church at the time of the raid, was in tears as he told a group gathered around him that riot police had wrenched one of the African children from his arms. "I will never forget the terror of the children. I can't believe they used tear gas against children."
Ms Louisa Arnaud, a nurse who had helped take care of the hunger strikers, accused the government of racism. "They have no right to do this in a church. I am a Catholic and I am really proud of the support the church gave to the immigrants, but I am disgusted at this government. Only fascists behave like this. It's scandalous."