Yesterday morning, at Place Garibaldi, the Food Bank and Caritas France organized an “Air Food” to protest against the end of European food aid in a few months.
There were nearly a hundred people gathered yesterday at Place Garibaldi at 11:30 am. Aid organizations such as the Food Bank, Caritas France, Les Restos du Cœur, and the Red Cross all came together to demonstrate the need to maintain the European food aid program. The slogans are clear “Say no to the elimination of the aid plan for the most deprived,” “Together let’s help people to be nourished.” It shows that if we do nothing, the poorest, the most vulnerable will have nothing on their plates. An absurdity for a country like France. But the problem is no longer confined to France but extends to Europe: “In a year, 18 million Europeans won’t be pretending.”
Like in a cafeteria, the volunteers tap with their cutlery to chant “Help us, we are hungry.” But nothing in the plastic plates. Filming themselves pretending to eat and drink at the table to show that the most deprived can no longer feed themselves properly. Cutlery, spatulas, lids, everything is used to make as much noise as possible and finally be heard by the officials and also by passersby in the face of a delicate situation. Even a wave sweeps over this improvised picnic. Every passerby inevitably turns their head and stops for a few seconds or minutes to watch. A huge publicity stunt for these organizations and to raise public awareness about this serious issue.
The IMF has announced that for every €1 produced, it represents €3 for the community. An alarming observation. Unfortunately, aid is being reduced. Instead of the planned 500 million, Brussels is planning a €2.5 billion envelope over 7 years, or 360 million per year. An extension of the existing program had been agreed until the end of 2012, so it is coming to an end. Seven EU member states (Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom) believe that these actions should depend on national governments and no longer on Brussels. The EU capital will examine this program by the end of the week.
Several demonstrations of this kind have taken place or will take place in France in the coming days. Caen, Blois, Limoges, Saint-Brieuc, and of course Paris, the list is long. In Europe, Berlin and Barcelona have already taken action. This shows that Europe must quickly find solutions.
