Le Figaro: The center of Nice is full of drug addicts who "wreak havoc"

Nice
Photo: Euro.dayfr.com

Insults, threats and even aggression with a syringe – this is what Tiranti Street looks like, located a stone's throw from the Jean Madsen tourist avenue. This area of Nice has been occupied by a gang of hardened drug addicts for several years, writes Le Figaro in a reportage from one of the best resorts in France.

“We have been fighting these people since 2008!” grumbles Thierry, who lives on the street for thirty years. “I don’t even know where to start. They inject in the middle of the street, they sell drugs, they throw their syringes,” continues his wife Nicole.

Suddenly, a small group appears to join the people lying on the ground. “Well, you are the witnesses! They are exchanging drugs without even hiding it,” another resident exclaims irritably.

In addition to dealing in heroin and stolen substances, addicts have created an unsafe environment on this downtown street. “Attacks and fights happen regularly. Violence is daily,” Thierry sums up. Last week, a passer-by even pricked herself with a syringe that was lying on the sidewalk. “I accidentally stepped on it. It's very scary. Especially since I was wearing open shoes,” Manon adds, who works at number 12 next door.

“Last month they even tried to kill each other!” Antoine emphasizes, who has owned a small hotel on Tiranti Street for 20 years. “Sometimes I have to accompany my clients so that nothing happens to them. Today, every third guest comment speaks of unsanitary conditions and lack of safety on the street. I have more and more foreign clients who call before booking hotel rooms to find out if the area is safe,” he laments, worried about his business.

“We cannot live with these people, we are not compatible. They have to leave,” Thierry gets annoyed. “They are all foreigners, most of them illegal and under a system that obliges them to leave French territory,” says another local resident.

“It is sad to see that in France we have reached the point of no return,” Mylène regrets. “These guys are resisting everything, we can’t do anything. They are untouchable and insolvent.”

Meetings in the municipality with Deputy Security Officer Anthony Borre are regularly organized, but they do not bring any solution. “The authorities tell us that they are powerless. They don't do anything to help,” Thierry informs his deputy.

Member of the local parliament, Eric Ciotti, denounces “a zone of lawlessness in the heart of Nice, a stone's throw from the main artery of the city.” For him, the situation on Tiranti Street is an illustration of uncontrolled immigration and the spread of violence. He says: “We have to oppress dealers and consumers. Impunity and immigration are a cocktail of evil for the French.”

But nobody does anything.

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