It is a rush transcript. Reproduction might not be in its ultimate shape.AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman.
We finish nowadays’s display in Paris, the place, simply hours prior to the 2024 Summer time Olympics opening rite, a chain of it appears coordinated arson and vandalism assaults had been reported on France’s high-speed rail community, at the Eurostar, impacting loads of hundreds of passengers. Tens of hundreds are anticipated to circulation into the center of Paris nowadays for the hole rite this night, when about on the subject of 7,000 athletes from around the globe are set to sail on boats down a four-mile stretch of the Seine.
In the meantime, protests towards the Olympics have taken position in Paris forward of the video games, condemning the displacement of hundreds of migrants, unhoused folks and different inclined communities in a monthslong marketing campaign by way of French government that activists have denounced as a “social cleaning.” Simply the day prior to this, every other staff of loads of most commonly African migrants slumbering at the streets of Paris had been rounded up by way of armed police, pressured onto buses, pushed out of Paris. Displaced migrants have spoken out towards the violence.
NICLETTE: [translated] The NGOs who deal with us, give us a spot to wash, meals to devour, will close down quickly. And we don’t know what is going to turn into folks and the place we can cross throughout the duration of the Olympic Video games.
JOCELYNE: [translated] I’ve two kids. And since we’re dwelling at the streets, one fell sick with bronchial asthma. So it’s very tricky for me with the Olympic Video games. We do all of our actions in Paris. What is going to turn into folks now? Can anyone discover a answer for us?
KEMOKO SOW: [translated] Pass to the teach stations. You spot, in every single place you cross, there are policemen. Positive, they’re right here for safety. However, for us, they’re right here to catch us. We’re afraid to go away our houses throughout those Olympic Video games. You spot, there are thousands of undocumented migrants who’re in France.
AMY GOODMAN: A migrant from Mali and voices of 2 Congolese migrant moms. Masses of folks even have marched on Paris over the weekend to protest the participation of the Israeli delegation to the Summer time Olympics amid Israel’s relentless conflict on Gaza.
MARTINE: [translated] Israeli athletes’ participation within the Olympics could be very surprising, very surprising, particularly once we know what has been taking place for 8 months in Gaza. There are dozens and dozens of younger Palestinian athletes who won’t ever be capable of take part within the Olympic Video games. And they are able to say “thanks” to Israel for that, and the world neighborhood, as a result of I believe that Israel lets in itself to act like this since the world neighborhood has best been giving it little slaps at the wrist for many years.
AMY GOODMAN: Greater than 400 Palestinian athletes and coaches in Gaza were killed or wounded by way of Israeli assaults since October seventh. 8 Palestinian athletes are competing within the Paris Summer time Olympics this yr, essentially the most in historical past, together with 18-year-old tae kwon do fighter Omar Ismail. In the meantime, Amnesty Global slammed French government over a coverage banning France’s Muslim athletes from dressed in headscarves.
For extra, we cross to Paris, the place we’re joined by way of two visitors. Jules Boykoff is the creator of 5 books at the Olympics, former skilled athlete. His newest piece for the Medical American is headlined “The Paris Olympics Are a Lesson in Greenwashing.” He’s co-written a number of items at the Paris Olympics along sports activities editor at The Country Dave Zirin, together with their newest, “The Appalling Social Cleaning of Olympic Paris.” And Paul Alauzy is a Paris-based activist with the scientific NGO Medical doctors of the International and an organizer with Different Aspect of the Medal.
We welcome you each to Democracy Now! I’m so satisfied you need to each sign up for us in a Paris studio, bearing in mind what has taken position nowadays. Paul Alauzy, if you’ll give an explanation for what French government are calling sabotage of the high-speed rails? Nearly one million persons are affected. However then speak about what you’re calling “social cleaning” in preparation for those Summer time Olympics.
PAUL ALAUZY: Yeah. Hello. Thanks such a lot for having us.
Neatly, I don’t have a lot to mention in regards to the sabotage this morning, as a result of, clearly, we’re no longer meddled on this.
However our collective, greater than 100 NGOs, neighborhood affiliation, we in point of fact lived thru violent social cleaning for the entire yr. So, in only a yr, we had greater than 12,500 folks, homeless folks, refugees, homeless, intercourse employees, drug customers, folks from Jap Europe, who had been expelled from tent towns, from slums, from squats. And this can be a upward push of 40% evaluating to 2 years in the past. And in simply the previous week, 300 folks had been moved the day prior to this. 5 hundred folks had been moved from tent towns simply closing week. The numbers of expulsion in opposition to essentially the most marginalized inhabitants of Paris has exploded, and it’s on account of the group of the Olympics.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Jules Boykoff, if you’ll describe, set the scene for us, how Paris has deliberate for those Olympics and the way intensive this is more or less, what you’re calling, in point of fact, ethnic cleaning is?
JULES BOYKOFF: Neatly, again in 2017, when Paris was once bidding at the Olympics, they promised that their Olympics can be other. And I believe the subtext there was once they had been going to check out to steer clear of the issues that experience turn into endemic downsides of the Olympics, and that’s overspending, militarization of public house, the displacement of marginalized populations, greenwashing and corruption.
And sadly, seven years later, they’ve utterly conformed to the plan. They’re 115% on prices overrun. They’ve militarized public house. I think like I’m attending a policing conference right here. It’s intense, I’m telling you. Additionally they instituted a AI-powered video surveillance, that shall be criminal and used all the way through the video games. Paul simply talked eloquently in regards to the displacement that has been taking place right here. This has been an intensive greenwash. We will perhaps communicate extra about that. And there’s a lot of open investigations into corruption right here in Paris associated with bribery across the video games. And so, they mentioned they’d be other, however how other are they, in point of fact?
AMY GOODMAN: So, speak about what you’re describing because the greenwashing. I imply, we’re speaking a couple of week that has observed no longer two, however 3 of the most up to date days on report on the earth. If you’ll speak about what this greenwashing is ready?
JULES BOYKOFF: Completely. Neatly, because the Nineties, the Global Olympic Committee has in point of fact talked so much about sustainability and looking to embed it within the Olympic Video games. However a contemporary instructional learn about discovered that a few of the ones most up-to-date installations of the Olympics, like Tokyo, like Sochi in 2014, like Rio in 2016, are one of the crucial maximum egregious greenwashers round.
Now, in that context, Paris arrived. And to make certain, they’ve kind of tiptoed over that very low bar. They’ve restricted the quantity of unpolluted development that they’re doing. They’re reusing fabrics, so a large number of the seats within the venues shall be comprised of recycled plastic. They’re leaning on wooden. They’ve extra vegan choices within the cafeteria. However the issue is, this tournament is essentially unsustainable.
Let’s take a look at what’s taking place in the case of Tahiti. They’re webhosting the browsing pageant means away in Tahiti. It’s 9,735 miles clear of right here. So we’re racking up loads of carbon miles to try this. Even worse, Amy, once they had been growing the tower to permit NBC and different large broadcasters to transmit the most efficient footage of the surfers to the sector, they introduced a barge in that ran excessive of a mild coral reef. And you’ll watch the movies on-line of locals in Teahupoʻo , Tahiti, simply screaming out in agony and ache. I don’t know the way that conforms to inexperienced guarantees across the Olympics.
And so, mainly, what I’m pronouncing to you is, in Paris, we’re seeing a kind of faded inexperienced type of faded inexperienced capitalism, if you are going to, when what actually is needed is a scientific transformation in resplendent Technicolor.
AMY GOODMAN: And let me ask you one thing, Jules. You’re an Olympic football participant your self previously. I’m having a look at an editorial at this time in regards to the 2024 Olympics, most probably the most up to date ever. Are athletes themselves ready, coping with the warmth as they compete?
JULES BOYKOFF: Neatly, you’re proper. I had the great fortune of representing the US on the under-23 degree.
And I’m curious about athletes. Such as you discussed, those are a few of the most up to date days within the historical past of the sector that we’re dwelling. And if you wish to perceive why we’re having the Olympics in July and August, which can be the most up to date months of the yr, it is smart to take into accounts the massive contract that NBC signed with the Global Olympic Committee. They paid some $7.75 billion for the rights to run the video games thru 2032. And wager what: NBC does no longer need to have the Olympics interfering with U.S. American soccer, which begins in September, mainly. And so, that’s why they’re plopping athletes into this intense warmth.
Closing Olympics, we realized that athletes had been pressured to signal waivers that mentioned that in the event that they died of coronavirus or from warmth exhaustion, that they couldn’t sue the Global Olympic Committee. That’s the type of state of affairs that athletes need to care for in the event that they need to compete within the Olympics within the trendy technology.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m having a look at some information and figures. Twenty p.c of Olympic countries face extinction from sea degree upward push and excessive climate by way of 2030. Additionally, if you need to speak about air trip, world trip, massive contributor to the affect of carbon — to the carbon affect at the video games?
JULES BOYKOFF: That’s completely right kind. Some 85% of the air pollution and carbon related to sports activities mega occasions comes from the trip. And that’s in point of fact no longer being sufficiently handled right here in Paris.
If the Olympics or different large carrying occasions just like the International Cup in reality need to be inexperienced, there are a selection of items they are able to do. One, they are able to make the video games smaller. They be afflicted by one thing that some folks name gigantism. Two, they are able to work out techniques of instituting measures which might be extra clear for all folks with the intention to see, like, what they’re doing. It’s rather untransparent at this time in the case of what Paris is in reality doing. There’s loads of issues that may be accomplished proper, however we in point of fact wish to reduce the dimensions of those occasions, if we in reality need to lead them to inexperienced.
AMY GOODMAN: Paul Alauzy, I sought after to proceed speaking to you in regards to the degree of protest round Paris at this time. I imply, there was once a counter opening rite. If you need to describe that for us?
PAUL ALAUZY: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And likewise communicate in regards to the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, who’s a socialist. And the swimming within the Seine of politicians to turn that it’s blank sufficient. Macron, the French president, sought after to swim in it, however folks — smartly, you’ll describe what folks threatened to do if he swam within the Seine.
PAUL ALAUZY: Yeah, positive. So, to discuss the group round and towards the video games, it’s in point of fact tough to prepare towards the video games, as it’s a large propaganda system, it’s very robust, and they have got an insane safety device round it. In fact they wish to save you any chance of terrorism. No person needs that. However for protesters and activists, it’s in point of fact tough to do one thing.
So, throughout a yr, we arranged a large number of, you understand, direct motion to only pop up when the flame arrived in Paris, pop up in entrance of ministries, in entrance of touristic puts. And we controlled to take action and to have the photographs of the protests cross around the globe, which is just right. However none of our asks to the Olympic Video games, to town corridor and to the state had been in point of fact accomplished, you understand? The social cleaning persevered and persevered.
So, I spent I don’t know the way many days being in tent towns and in leaving, expulsions alongside the Seine. After which we have now politicians taking a tub within the Seine and making it the massive society of spectacle, that, yeah, it’s wonderful to swim within the Seine. So, a large number of French folks threatened to — pardon me the expression — however to take a [bleep] within the Seine so as to save you that and to perhaps, you understand, disturb the bathtub of our flesh pressers. And, you understand, they used $1.4 billion to wash up the Seine. We simply ask for $10 million, $10 million, so no longer even 01% of that funds, to position an emergency plan so as to lend a hand the homeless and the refugees and the entire inhabitants relying on Paris’s public house. They usually even didn’t settle for that. So, we will in point of fact see the place the political priorities are.
AMY GOODMAN: And if you’ll speak about your company, the Different Aspect of the Coin [sic], Revers de los angeles Médaille? What does that imply?
PAUL ALAUZY: Neatly, it implies that us, Le Revers de los angeles Médaille —
AMY GOODMAN: The Different Aspect of the Medal, I must say.
PAUL ALAUZY: Yeah, precisely, the Different Aspect of the Medal. It implies that we don’t seem to be anti-Olympics. You realize, I’ve a large number of buddies. I come from a small village. They love the Olympics. They don’t know what’s taking place within the streets of Paris. And they are able to cheer for it. That’s no downside. It doesn’t lead them to being people who find themselves anti-migrants, anti-solidarity, anti-poverty. So we needed to show off to the folks and unfold the phrase round that you’ll toughen the video games, however you want to understand that they have got a large social affect, and so they include a value.
They usually include a value of the lives of loads, hundreds of folks being mistreated, you understand, people who undergo migration. They went thru Libya. They went throughout the Mediterranean Sea. They come right here, and what they have got is a police reaction. It’s so violent to reside thru that. And the video games, you understand, they had been so other 130 years in the past. They had been just for male. They had been just for white folks. They had been even arranged with the Nazis. So, even now after a yr of protesting the video games, I’m deeply satisfied that if we proceed to take action everywhere in the global, we will nonetheless develop into them for the easier.
AMY GOODMAN: Jules Boykoff, if you’ll communicate in regards to the requires Israel to not be integrated within the Olympics? 8 Palestinian athletes are competing on this yr’s Olympics. Your co-writer at The Country wrote in The Country closing yr, quote, “Seven of them have secured what are referred to as ‘universality puts,’ which enable athletes from countries that experience underdeveloped sports activities systems to participate within the video games despite the fact that they arrive up in need of officially qualifying.” Jules?
JULES BOYKOFF: Completely. So, to start with, on the protest, the protest that Paul arranged closing evening, there was once an enormous pro-Palestinian rights presence there. I’ve observed it at the streets throughout this town.
Now, if you wish to perceive the inclusion of Israel within the Paris 2024 Olympics, it does us smartly to decelerate and evaluate it to Russia. In Russia, you may have a rustic that can best result in 12 athletes to those Olympic Video games. Typically they carry upwards of 300. And that’s on account of two causes that the Global Olympic Committee gave. One is that Russia violated the Olympic truce when it invaded Ukraine proper after the Beijing Olympics and prior to the Paralympics, and, two, that they’d violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine and, in doing so, took over 4 spaces that surround sports activities golf equipment from Ukraine, and the Russian Olympic Committee took over the ones sports activities golf equipment.
Now, in evaluating it to Israel, I need to make it transparent: Historical past does no longer give us crisp facsimiles, equivalent twins, if you are going to. However there are very an identical parts right here. For starters, as you’ve been reporting nowadays, the atrocities proceed apace in Gaza, and we’re within the Olympic truce duration at this time. So, that’s one. And, two, you understand, should you take a look at the stadiums in Gaza, just about each and every football stadium has been utterly decimated. The fields are unplayable. And additionally, one of the vital storied soccer stadium in Gaza — it’s referred to as Yarmouk Stadium — was once taken over by way of Israeli Protection Forces and used to detain Palestinians and to interrogate them. Now, that positive sounds so much like taking on the territorial integrity of Gaza.
And so, persons are questioning, out loud right here and around the globe: Why is Israel no longer handled like Russians? Now, Russia are sending about 12 athletes right here, and they are going to no longer take part beneath their flag. They’ll take part as what are referred to as particular person impartial athletes. And a large number of folks were elevating the query: Why is Israel no longer additionally being requested to take part as particular person impartial athletes? The Global Olympic Committee has proven 0 pastime in any way in entertaining this positively affordable query. And that’s why you’re seeing Israeli athletes collaborating beneath their flag and with their nationwide anthem right here in Paris.
AMY GOODMAN: In spite of everything, Jules, you may have been writing about AI and the usage of it on the Olympics. We simply have 30 seconds, but when you’ll give an explanation for?
JULES BOYKOFF: Certain. So, in March 2023, the French Nationwide Meeting handed a regulation legalizing AI-powered video surveillance to police the Olympic Video games. The regulation is meant to sundown in March 2025 after the Olympics, however, howdy, it doesn’t take the creativeness of an avant-garde poet to get a hold of eventualities in which the French executive insists upon protecting that regulation in position. And that is consistent with what we’ve observed with earlier Olympics, the place they use the Olympics as a pretext to get the entire particular guns and regulations that they’d by no means be capable of get throughout commonplace political occasions, and all too frequently the ones particular guns and regulations keep at the e book and turn into a part of normalized policing within the wake of the video games. And I will have to say, Amy, normalized policing in too many puts may be racialized policing, so you need to argue that AI is in reality expanding the racialized policing in a society.
AMY GOODMAN: We need to thanks each such a lot for being with us. Jules Boykoff, 5 books at the Olympics, a former Olympic football participant, we’ll hyperlink on your items in The Country. Paul Alauzy, a Paris-based activist with Medical doctors of the International and Different Aspect of the Medal. That does it for our display. I’m Amy Goodman. Thank you for becoming a member of us.
