“Angry tenants”: in the Béziers neighborhoods, La France Insoumise activists meet residents on the housing issue

Les militants biterrois de LFI, ce samedi, dans le quartier de la Grangette. Midi Libre – M. A.

The LFI MP for Haute Garonne, François Piquemal, was visiting several neighborhoods in Béziers this Saturday, December 7, alongside activists from La France Insoumise, to talk about housing, rising charges, and insecurity.

With a tricolor scarf over a jacket closed to the neck, François Piquemal talks with a group of activists and residents of the Grangette neighborhood in Béziers. This Saturday afternoon, the wind cools the bodies but minds remain sharp, focused on the housing issue.

“The group of activists from La France Insoumise in Béziers contacted me”, explains the LFI deputy from Haute Garonne, who sits on the economic affairs committee “where housing issues are dealt with”, he emphasizes. All day long, in La Devèze, in Iranget and finally in La Grangette, he accompanied Magali Crozier, the leader of LFI in Béziers, and her supporters, to meet the residents of social housing.

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“There is a problem with charges, on heating, with bills that go up to €125 per month, without access to supporting documents…” And to also list “problems of insalubrity, pests, security…” And as if echoing the dramatic assassination of Mohamed Idrissi, by his neighbor, which occurred a week earlier: “A lady told me that she was being threatened by her neighbor, she filed a complaint, here in La Grangette. We have abandoned neighborhoods. The residents no longer seem to expect anything.”

“Being housed with dignity”

A dark observation made by the politician who encourages residents “to organize themselves collectively to get the landlord to do work, to justify the charges and so that they can be housed with dignity.”

For Magali Crozier, this political visit, on the ground, is part of the local work carried out throughout the year. “The government has just fallen, we would like Macron to follow and for people's votes to be listened to. The inhabitants complain when we only come to see them for the elections.”

La Biterroise is also getting people to sign a petition for Macron's dismissal. “Since we've been going door to door, we've met a lot of tenants who complain,” adds Wissal El Jarrari, head of the Jeunes insoumis.

“Of course we have to unite but…”

As for the municipal elections and a hypothetical union of the left such as the communist Nicolas Cossange publicly called for… “Of course we have to unite but it won't be an addition of names. For us, the important thing is the program. And we'd like to have people from the neighborhoods on the list, we'd like to open up to the society.”