The Guardian | 28.04.2017
Cédric Herrou is a farmer who supports and houses African refugees in the alpine village of Breil-Sur-Roya in southern France. Some regard him as a heroic good samaritan, but others – including the French border police and state prosecutor – denounce him as the leader of a band of smugglers, bringing migrants from Italy into France while flouting official border controls. As Cedric moves from one prosecution to another, why do he and his fellow activists feel compelled to defy the authorities?
Herrou’s olive farm lies in a picturesque valley on France’s Italian border near a popular route for refugees trying to slip past border controls. Since the French government tightened security along the coastal route into France, refugees began climbing up the valley seeking a new route in, appearing suddenly on the sides of roads or in local villages. Since then, Cédric’s farm has become home to an unofficial camp for an ever-changing set of young refugees and who climb up the valley where he lives.