La Castellane

For the city in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, see Castellane.

La Castellane

Residential buildings in La Castellane

La Castellane is a neighbourhood in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille, France. Built as a Modernist council estates in the 1960s for refugees from the Algerian War of 1954-1962, it is now home to about 7,000 residents, many of whom are second-generation French citizens. The neighbourhood is plagued by unemployment, drug trafficking, prostitution and arms smuggling.

Location

La Castellane is located in the Verduron district in the northwestern edge of Marseille,[1] the second largest city in France after its capital Paris.[2] It is just off the A55 autoroute.[3]

History

The neighbourhood was built on the grounds of the ancient marquisate of Foresta.[1] The idea of building tall, modern buildings was first broached in 1955.[1] They were designed by architect Pierre Meillassoux, who was inspired by master architect Xavier Arsène-Henry and, to a certain extent, Oscar Niemeyer.[1] They were completed in the 1960s.[1]

The neighbourhood first served as a council estate for refugees from the Algerian War of 1954-1962, as a result of France's loss of French Algeria during the presidency of General Charles de Gaulle.[1] Shortly after, immigrants from Morocco moved to La Castellane, followed by others from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbeans.[1] It is now home to about 7,000 residents, many of whom are second-generation French citizens.[2][4][5] For example, it is the hometown of football player Zinedine Zidane, whose parents were born in Algeria.[4][5] Lamine Gassama, another football player who grew up in La Castellane, was born to parents from Senegal.[6] As of 2015, the buildings are said to be run-down.[5]

The neighbourhood is plagued by unemployment, drug trafficking, prostitution and arms smuggling.[2][7] There are three drug-trafficking networks: "place du Mérou", "Tour K", and "La Jougardelle".[8] French newspapers have suggested the neighbourhood is known as a "supermarket" for illegal drugs.[8]

In June 2013, French police took down a drug-trafficking syndicate, including 1.3 million euros in cash split between several smugglers, weapons and drugs.[5] In December 2014, a state school was burnt down in La Castellane.[9] A month later, in January 2015, a young man was gunned down, as was another young man in 2011.[5]

On 9 February 2015, shortly after gunfire was shot at a police car, during the 2015 Marseille shooting[10] the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group seized seven Kalashnikov rifles, two .357 Magnum revolvers and around 20 kilograms of drugs.[2][5][11] However, the gunmen were not aiming at the police; instead, it was the result of a turf war between two gangs,[12] selling primarily cannabis and cocaine.[7] Drug-traffickers as a whole in La Castellane are reported to make between 50,000 and 60,000 euros a day as of 2015.[5] Shortly after the February incident, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who was visiting Marseille, called it an example of "apartheid", whereby French citizens who live in such neighbourhoods feel excluded from society.[2]

On June 15, 2015, French police arrested 33 suspected drug traffickers, including Socialist Senator Samia Ghali's chauffeur, as well as weapons and several kilograms of cannabis.[8] Bernard Cazeneuve, the French Interior Minister, suggested drug-trafficking was used to fund terrorism on French soil, and reiterated his commitment to restore order.[8]

In April 2016, some buildings were scheduled to be demolished in an effort to put an end to drug-trafficking.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Patrimoine Marseille XX: 1535 - La Castellane
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gunmen fire on Marseille police as PM Valls visits city, Reuters, February 09, 2015
  3. ↑ Google Map
  4. 1 2 Andrew Hussey, ZZ Top, The Guardian, 4 April 2004
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A Marseille, 7 kalachnikovs retrouvées dans la cité de la Castellane après les tirs, Le Monde, 09 January 2015
  6. ↑ Razik Brikh, Gassama : "Pour gagner des trophées, c'est à l'OL qu'il faut jouer", Lyon Capitale, 13 December 2008
  7. 1 2 Lizzie Dearden, Gunmen in Marseille 'shoot at police' hours before French Prime Minister due to visit, The Independent, 09 Monday 2015
  8. 1 2 3 4 Akhillé Aercke, Des dizaines d'arrestations après une opération anti-drogue à Marseille, Le Figaro, June 15, 2015
  9. ↑ Samia Ghali : "Les gens vivent à la Castellane avec la peur au ventre", France Info, 09 February 2015
  10. ↑ Marc Leras, Marseille police shot at by hooded gunmen, prior to French PM visit, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 February 2015
  11. ↑ marseille : pourquoi le trafic garde la main à la castellane, La Provence, 11 February 2015
  12. ↑ Maia de la Baume, Shots Fired Near Marseille on Day of French Prime Minister’s Visit, The New York Times, February 09, 2015
  13. ↑ Becker, Francois (April 8, 2016). "Marseille: la Castellane va être réhabilitée, une page se tourne". La Provence. Retrieved April 8, 2016.

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