Médecins Sans Frontières - France - "Where’s the government’s audacity?" (ENG)

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF169480

Date taken / Date Recorded 08/06/2016 12:00 AM

Country France

Commissioning section MSF-FRANCE

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★★★ (C)

Video format h264 (Constrained Baseline) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m1s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 177.96 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist "I’ve just got back from Grande Synthe where I was logistics manager.
I arrived on the last day of the move from the old camp in Grande Synthe that was a muddy and insalubrious quagmire. I was really touched when people we were assisting spontaneously said a few days after moving into their cabins, "ah my friend, it's a good place, it's dry, no trouble now, no more mud"
It was incredibly moving to see these people suddenly able to regain their dignity.
It really affects you, but it’s all so fragile. In two weeks time the camp may be forgotten about and that’s frustrating too.
I’m French, from south-west France. I have political convictions and I’ve been involved in local politics. To see Médecins Sans Frontières forced to take action in France — a developed country that in the 1970s managed under a right-wing conservative government to take in 120,000 boat people — and that now a left-wing government isn’t capable of dealing with the fate of several thousand migrants, well, it makes me really mad. Because it can be easily achieved — if it’s done intelligently and in a spirit of humanity. It reminds me of something Jaurès said: "power comes with audacity”.
We had the audacity, and so did the mayor of Grande Synthe, when we set up the camp. We had the audacity to take action and throw ourselves into the adventure. But where’s the government’s audacity? What are they doing? Where are they — these self-styled descendants of Jaurès, these socialists who’ve forsaken compassion?
It’s been shocking to see the extent of their failure. All I hope is that we’ll be able to suspend this operation in France and we’ll no longer have to intervene — that the government will face its responsibilities, step up to the plate and realise it doesn’t take much to achieve a great deal.”