Ok , so today truly is a rest day. We’re not going anywhere else, just sightseeing in town and a short ride out to the infamous Camp de Rivesaltes. It was where we were heading yesterday before stumbling upon the Fête
Originally set up after the Spanish civil war as a refugee camp it was later used by the Vichy government of southern France during WW2 , to hold ‘undesirable elements ie. gypsies ,Jews and anyone felt to be a threat to the government of the time. It was the biggest camp in France and many were sent from here to the death camps of Eastern Europe
Then in 1962 came tens of thousands of Harkis. Algerians who had sided with the French during the civil war. After the war they were left homeless because of atrocities committed to them in Algeria. This was still mostly a tent city but concrete buildings were started to try to accommodate them all. Many died of malnutrition in appalling conditions and a visiting politician called it ‘Frances Shame’. ( there’s a book to read on the subject called The Harkis, The wound that never heals. )
Paris to Paris 