My door opened when it needed to open. In 2016, the Roya Valley was no longer France. It had become the valley of indecency and immorality. From Paris, the ‘men in grey’ decided that my world, my valley, my home would be nothing more than a common piece of land without rights or duties. The embodiment of foolishness without ethics or morals, where men, women and children would no longer be considered as our fellow homo sapiens-sapiens, but as objects to be moved, stored and mistreated; non-recyclable waste from an inhospitable world. A battle against the flow, a battle against Article 13.
Yes, I opened my door because I was outraged, angry at the lack of morality.
Silent outrage would have pushed me to indifference. For habit is achieved through silence. To make my voice heard, I shouted with others. I looked for people who were like me, who felt angered by the violence of a precarious policy. I found those I knew but didn’t really know. These men and women who keep the revolutionary movement that is Emmaus alive. This movement that has been a trailblazer and model in the fight for human dignity for over 70 years. Viva!