Shropshire Star

Homeless people need a roof too, say protesters outside Notre Dame

Around 50 people staged a demonstration outside the fire-ravaged building in Paris.

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France Notre Dame

Dozens of public housing advocates are protesting outside the gutted Notre Dame in Paris to demand France’s poorest people be remembered.

It comes after donors pledged almost £1 billion to rebuild the cathedral and its destroyed roof.

Around 50 people from a French homeless association gathered Monday with placards reading “1 billion in 24 hours.”

France Notre Dame
Protesters in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (Francisco Seco/AP)

They chanted slogans directed at Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of luxury group LVMH, who last week pledged 200 million euros (£173 million).

Some chanted: “Notre Dame needs a roof, we need a roof too.”

Paris police monitored the peaceful protest on the central Paris island on which Notre Dame is located but did not intervene and the protest dispersed after several hours.

In addition to Arnault’s pledge, another billionaire, Francois Pinault, and his son pledged 100 million euros (£86.6 million) for the reconstruction effort from their company, which owns the Christie’s auction house and is the main shareholder in Gucci.

After Easter Mass on Sunday, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit said authorities ought to “rethink the whole island and make a place for the poor.”

He added: “The poor and the homeless are at home here (in Notre Dame).

“They can always go and get warm in a church and they know they won’t be kicked out.”

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