Marseille's Drug Crime In Spotlight As Macron Visits

Marseille, Sept 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Sep, 2021 ) :Residents in some of Marseille's poorest crime-ridden districts pleaded with French President Emmanuel Macron for help on Wednesday as he visited the Mediterranean port following a spate of drugs-related murders.

France's second-biggest city has long been known for its run-down streets and desolate housing estates, as well as its gritty charm and fierce local pride.

But with the April 2021 presidential elections approaching, a surge in deadly shootings has put its long-standing social problems on the political agenda.

"I've suffered so much, I can't put it into words. I want to leave," one woman on the verge of tears told Macron as he met residents of the Bassens estate in northern Marseille at the start of his visit.

Others asked for more police, public investment and better housing as they described their daily encounters with drug dealers, as well as the decrepit local schools and high-rise blocks.

"We're scared on this estate," one 63-year-old social worker from Bassens told AFP ahead of Macron's arrival. "When I get back from work at 10 pm, it's deserted and sometimes you hear shooting like it's a Western film."The three-day trip by Macron, accompanied by seven members of his cabinet, is intended to make a statement about his investment in security and education, just eight months from presidential elections.

"It's a city that has been emitting a number of warning signals," a presidential aide admitted on Tuesday. Macron is well aware that his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen is expected to campaign next year on a law-and-order platform.