PARIS: France’s top state human rights body said Monday it would probe criticism of efforts to relocate the city’s homeless population ahead of the Paris Olympics this year. Some charities have accused local authorities of carrying out a “social cleansing” operation in the capital region ahead of the Games by clearing away the homeless, as well as migrant camps and slums.

The transfer of people from Paris to temporary accommodation centres in provincial France has caused tensions and demonstrations in some towns and rural areas. French rights ombudswoman Claire Hedon said she had started an investigation into “the threat to rights and freedoms in the context of the Olympic Games.”

She said she would look into “the manner in which homeless people are sent outside of Paris to accommodation centres, the way in which living areas are being destroyed.” It posed the question of whether there was a policy “of making undesirable people invisible,” she added.

The investigation would also look into the use of student accommodation in Paris to house members of the emergency services and other state employees during the Games, which will mean around 2,000 students will have to be re-housed. Hedon will also probe restrictions placed on demonstrations and the use of AI-assisted crowd monitoring software by the French police.

Her findings are set to be published in April at the earliest. France’s Office for the Defence of Rights is an independent state institution, created in 2011, whose role is to investigate possible rights abuse and make recommendations to the government. The French government has denied having a “zero homeless” target for the Olympics, saying that additional accommodation for rough sleepers would be part of the legacy of the Games.

Authorities in China cleared an unknown number of beggars, hawkers and the homeless from the streets of China before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with many shipped back to their home regions, reports said at the time. Brazilian campaign groups also said Rio de Janeiro’s homeless were being forced out of tourist areas in the middle of the night as the city hosted the games in 2016.

The Paris Olympics are set to run from July 26-August 11 followed by the Paralympics from August 28-September 8. French police working on the Paris Olympics will receive a one-off bonus of up to 1,900 euros ($2,060), the interior ministry said Tuesday under a major public pay deal intended to placate trade unions. Public-sector workers from the security forces, to nurses to train drivers are pushing for extra pay for forgoing their holidays in July and August during the Games when millions of visitors are expected around the country.

The hard-left CGT trade union representing Paris metro staff announced Monday that it had given notice of possible strikes, including over the summer, as part of its efforts to secure pay hikes and bonuses.

The maximum 1,900 euros agreed with the police follows two days of protests this month and is higher than the interior ministry had initially suggested, although many officers are expected to receive less. “The bonus will vary depending on each individual’s situation,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a letter to officers that was shared with AFP.

France is banking on its first Summer Olympics in 100 years to showcase the best of the country from the historic monuments of Paris to its role as a global centre of food, fashion and sporting excellence. Organizers are desperate to avoid street protests and industrial disputes that could mar the experience for ticket holders or TV spectators.

The country was shaken by so-called “Yellow Vest” anti-government protests in 2018, massive strikes against pension reform last year, as well as urban riots in June 2023. Around 35,000 security forces are expected to be on duty each day for the Olympics from July 26-August 11, with the taking of holiday banned for officers during this period. The Paralympics are set to take place from August 28-September 8. — AFP