(TheAntiMedia) Politicians in Marseille, France thought that it would be a wonderful idea to identify their homeless population with large, bright-yellow badges which would single them out in public and let everyone know that they were homeless. The badges also contained all of the person’s medical conditions, including alleged mental conditions and substance abuse problems.
“This is scandalous, it’s stigmatizing! Wearing something that shows the whole world what illnesses you have is not only discriminating but it also breaches all medical confidentiality. Being identified by either a star or a triangle is horrific,” Christophe Louis, president of the homeless charity Collectif Morts de la Rue, told The Local.
The politicians said they thought that this program would be helpful for the homeless population, since they were always losing their documents.
“I’m appalled by the absurd controversy surrounding this help card distributed by the social medical emergency services. [The reaction] not only questions the necessity of a scheme for homeless people but also the commitment of the city, the SAMU and volunteers to come to the aid of those who need it the most”. [The cards] allow above all firefighters and care workers to get access to essential information in order to identify, give efficient help and often to save the lives of people lacking a social safety net,” Marseille’s deputy mayors Xavier Mery said in a statement.
However, the homeless people of Marseille were not happy and held large protests against the program.
The program has been cancelled for now, but Mery promises that the ID’s will be redesigned.
“I’m appalled by the absurd controversy surrounding this help card distributed by Samu. We are going to change the look of this card. Our aim was only to come to the aid of the destitute as efficiently as possible. I really didn’t see this row coming,” Mery said.
This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TheAntiMedia.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive our latest articles.
John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work he is also the owner of a successful music promotion company. In 2013, he became one of the organizers of the Free Your Mind Conference, which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com.