A flood of gypsies has descended upon Nice and Mougins in recent days with almost 450 caravans illegally advancing on public and private land. The pitch at Nice’s Arboras Stadium has been churned up beyond repair and there are fears that Mougins’ latest residents may have a serious impact on the wildlife park that they have chosen to set up camp in. The sports field at the Arboras Stadium in Nice has a new kind of competitor on the pitch this week. Photo: Marc Herstalle “This is an illegal occupancy and will not be tolerated!” said Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi as he threatened the gypsies, currently settled inside the sports stadium, with a forced police eviction. On Sunday 24th June, some 500 vehicles – half of which were caravans – and 600 people descended on the ground when they noticed that the stadium had been left unlocked. “We saw that the gates were open,” the leader of the group, Franck Couchevelou, told reporters the following day, “and we came in!”
Following fruitless attempts at negotiation, the Alpes Maritimes Prefect issued a compulsory eviction order that the travellers have ignored. “We are peaceful and will leave in three weeks time,” Couchevelou reportedly told the local government. But that has done little to appease Estrosi, who now says that he will call in the police if the gypsies do not leave by Saturday 30th June. For now, the gypsies seem relatively unconcerned, reportedly telling Estrosi, “We will go to the Promenade des Anglais if you make us move.” The group of French travellers has presented its case before the Administrative Court of Nice in an effort to stall the forced eviction, warning, “Contact our lawyer, but for now, we’re not moving.” In Mougins, discussions between travellers and local councillors have been a little more smooth. The procession of around 180 caravans began early in the morning on Tuesday 26th and the gypsies have been accused of intentionally moving security boulders from the entrance of the Fontmerle park in order to gain access to the picturesque reserve. Despite the General Council immediately seeking legal advice, talks between the parties were resolved by the end of the day with the gypsies reportedly being allowed to stay in Mougins until Sunday 8th July. The land at Fontmerle makes up France’s largest bird reserve and is home to a wealth of animal species as well as unusual flora and fauna.
by Elsa Carpenter for Riviera Times