Prisoner ‘decapitated’ fellow inmate after row at Baumettes prison in Marseille
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A French prisoner reportedly decapitated a fellow inmate by using a broken piece of a porcelain bowl after a row
The early morning attack took place at the Baumettes prison in Marseille in the south of France
French media reported that the victim had his throat deeply slit and had been "practically decapitated" during the attack on the prison’s arrivals wing
They had been there for several weeks before the killing
Prison sources told Le Parisien newspaper: "It had been several days that they had not gotten along - he could no longer stand [him]."
The attacker was reportedly a homeless man who was jailed for six months for possession and transportation of drugs
He has been taken into custody at a police station
The victim was in prison on remand while facing drugs charges
The French Minister of Justice Didier Migaud said: "I confirm to you that a crime was committed
I cannot comment further but I confirm it."
It is the latest attack in a French prison after the escape of Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly" in May.
Amra was being taken back to jail from a court in Normandy when a car rammed his prison van at a toll booth on May 14
killing two officers and injuring three others - marking the country’s first fatal attack on prison staff in more than three decades
A manhunt was then launched for the 30-year-old drug dealer but it has so far been unsuccessful
Prosecutors said he was under investigation for a kidnapping and homicide case and was also suspected of ordering the assassination of a Frenchman in Spain in 2023
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He had recently been sentenced to 18 months for burglary
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has just been awarded an ecologically-sound label
Les Beaux Mets in Marseille is the first prison restaurant open to the public in France. Operated by the Festin association, it aims to destigmatize inmates while facilitating their professional integration. Good news: this social inclusion project has just received an award just two years after opening.
Close to the Calanque de Morgiou, in the grounds of the Baumettes prison, the former women’s area has been transformed to house the Les Beaux Mets restaurant. The kitchen, which opens onto a dining room that can seat 42 guests, serves as a rehabilitation tool for inmates, offering them an opportunity for training. Under the direction of chef Sandrine Sollier, her team prepares refined dishes every day, from Monday to Friday, using fresh, local and seasonal produce.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nous créons la restauration de demain 🍽️🌿 (@_ecotable_)
While the concept took France by surprise when it arrived on November 15, 2022, it has already been crowned with its first culinary award: an ecotable macaron
A restaurant awarded the 1 Ecotable label is a committed establishment that can continue to improve (since a restaurant can be awarded up to 3 Ecotable macaroons)
the ecotable is more about rewarding the ecological impact of establishments than
we can assure you that you’re in for a treat at Beaux Mets
The menu includes a Mediterranean-style stuffed zucchini flower
a tournedos barded with Nori leaves and a vacherin glacé with fruits of the sun
main course and dessert ranging from 25 to 35 euros
20 prisoners and a horse in the courtyard of the penitentiary Les Baumettes in Marseille
a horse makes its entry on the beaten ground of the courtyard of the Desert
Through the screened windows that overhang it
intimidated by the presence of the animal and the look of the comrades who observe them from their windows
letting go the reins to mimic the bird in full flight
they will have stretched themselves on the horse and they will have entwined the great beast
A form - in their own words - of emotional reinsertion
Images taken during two workshops conducted by the Théâtre du Centaure
Camille & Manolo artistic directors and Silence
With the support of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Region - the main partner and the Marseille-Les Baumettes Penitentiary Center
In partnership with the State - Ministry of Justice
the Interregional Directorate of Penal Services PACA Corse
the Penitentiary Service of Institution and Probation of the Bouches-du-Rhone
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He spent 13 years behind bars after smuggling drugs for Mediterranean gangs
Now Krishna Léger is one of the country’s most exciting chefs
The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
Krishna Léger is confident he is the only person to have smuggled fresh fish into Les Baumettes in Marseille
one of the most notorious prisons in France
One of his fellow inmates – also from Marseille – said it was the best he had ever tasted
The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
These days, Léger serves bouillabaisse on the first Sunday of every month at his restaurant, Volver
just outside the pretty medieval town of Uzès
in the southern French département of the Gard
and the three of them got into Karine’s car
the trio stopped at a bar in the town of Remoulins
Léger says that Karine asked him to drive the short distance to his home
because she wore contact lenses and didn’t like driving in the dark
one of the passengers accidentally thumped the steering wheel
The car spun off the road and hit a plane tree
then an oncoming car smashed into its side
his friend and the driver of the other car were seriously injured
The police found him to be just over the alcohol limit
Léger had fractured his spine and was warned he might not walk again
A court in Nîmes found him guilty of manslaughter and gave him a six-month suspended prison sentence
Losing his driving licence made it almost impossible to work
even though they were devastated by the death of their daughter – as was I.” Still
They aren’t obliged to make life easy for a criminal who decides he wants to cook, but all they did was throw a spanner in the worksNamed Krishna for the Hindu god of compassion by his mother (one of the many soixante-huitards who came to the Gard in the 1960s in search of a freer life)
Léger viewed his childhood as a joyful time
even though his parents separated when he was four (the name was a burden for a small French boy
his mother remarried and with her new husband made him feel unwelcome
and channelled some of his energy into boxing
At first he worked as a volunteer firefighter
Then he passed his exams and joined the Paris fire service
sloping off at night to take part in clandestine bare-knuckle fights
After a team he was part of rescued seven people from a blaze at the now defunct Laennec hospital in 1991
The five years he spent in the capital were the best he had known
smiles easily beneath his cropped hair and five o’clock shadow
But his smile vanishes when he remembers the courtroom in Nîmes
Nobody took into account his track record as a firefighter or his medals
Nobody acknowledged that what had happened had been an accident
and there was no consideration of his plea to keep his licence so he could work
Léger’s deep sense of injustice at that first brush with the law set him on a different path – one that would take him far from the Gard and even farther from the ideals represented by his namesake
I pretty quickly entered into a parallel world of professional crime.”
Léger is tall – 1.84 metres (6ft) – with the physique of a boxer
you sometimes catch a glimpse of the tattoo
The first job he got after the accident was as a bouncer in a club
The owner had one foot in the underworld and
he had been sucked into the racket around illegal slot machines and was rubbing shoulders with the various mafias that worked the Côte d’Azur – Corsican
He turned out to be good at judging which bars and arcades would bring in the most cash if he placed machines in them
after a settling of scores between crime groups on the Riviera that ended in gun violence
They found a key that opened a garage containing a cache of arms
some of which had been used in the shooting
Arrested and charged with homicide and possession of firearms (the homicide charge was later dropped)
he spent 96 hours in police custody before a court in Nice determined that he should be remanded in jail
He still remembers his state of mind as he sat alone in a cell beneath the courtroom
awaiting the van that would take him to prison
“I suddenly felt the weight of the choices I’d made
but I did realise that I had played the game and now I would pay the price.”
View image in fullscreenLéger at his restaurant
Photograph: Denis Dalmasso/The GuardianA court found him guilty of the firearms charge and he spent four months in prisons in Nice and Grasse – his first jail time
which he experienced as an initiation rite
a test he had to pass in order to be fully accepted into the world he had chosen
Léger was in a relationship with a model named Valérie he had met through associates on the Côte d’Azur; she had just given birth to their daughter
His police interrogators tried all kinds of techniques to make him give up his colleagues
even bringing Valérie in and threatening to have the baby
“I didn’t denounce anyone; none of my associates had any trouble because of me.”
In prison he had met some drug traffickers and
The first operation he took part in involved smuggling 300kg of hashish from Morocco to Spain
crossing the Strait of Gibraltar at dawn in a rigid inflatable boat
Léger graduated to smuggling cocaine and acquired a nickname – le Grand
Not long after France adopted the currency in 2002
he moved his family to a villa in Marbella and bought a Porsche Cayenne
It was around then that he began to indulge his passion for food
He had always loved experimenting in the kitchen
but hadn’t always had the resources to dedicate to it
it gave him particular pleasure to cook for friends – finding the ingredients; tweaking classic Spanish recipes such as gazpacho or tortilla – or invite them to restaurants
He loved everything about this new world: the cash
and before Léger and his two associates knew what was happening their vessel had been surrounded by police boats
he was sentenced to 14 years – later reduced to 12 and a half – and fined €10m (calculated as a percentage of the street value of the haul; he never could have paid it
He passed through a string of Spanish prisons before escaping in 2009 from the Ocaña jail near Madrid by paying off a prison employee
The plan was to retrieve cash that was owed to him
His relationship with Valérie hadn’t survived the stretch inside
His parting gift to her was a house in Saint-Tropez
he wanted to reconnect with his 10-year-old daughter
mainly because his former associates were either dead or in jail
and he didn’t get away as quickly as he had hoped
after he had been a fugitive for 18 months
the police caught up with him again in a layby near Narbonne
He had been driving in a convoy with two other men
transporting nearly 5kg of cocaine from Spain to France
One of the lawyers who defended him at the trial
which took place three years later in Marseille
that was one reason he was given a heavy sentence,” Thibaut Rouffiac says
more than anyone else implicated in the affair
involving the helicopter he had used to transport drugs from Morocco to Spain
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and he did what he could with the single electric plate in his cell and the uninspiring wares at the prison shop
He watched cookery programmes on TV and jotted down recipes in exercise books
rat-and-cockroach-infested jail where the food was dismal and violence endemic
life was bearable for him and his associates
dozens of whom he was thrilled to recognise in the exercise yard
because they were there for organised crime
They had individual cells in one of the less dilapidated buildings
This meant they could smuggle in any number of desirable items – including fish – from outside
with visitors and prison officers acting as go-betweens
But it was a poor existence whose rhythm was set by the desultory game of cat and mouse the prisoners played with the guards – passing illicit mobile phones from cell to cell
“At least I would get out one day.” And all around him were youngsters – mostly black or of north African heritage – who had grown up in poverty and were serving time for minor crimes
they didn’t seem to have chosen their path
Léger saw what the anthropologist Didier Fassin observed from his own deep dives into the French justice system
The prison population has more than tripled in the last half-century (the increase has been even greater in the UK and the US) and the main “growth sector” has been minor crime: failure to pay child support
or possessing small quantities of cannabis
Fassin argued that this punitive turn had been counterproductive
making society less rather than more safe – notably due to high rates of recidivism
“The power to punish has become uncoupled from its rational justification,” he wrote in 2015
Léger’s initial response to his penal experiences was simmering resentment
but over the years he managed to put his feelings into words: “The role of prison is
View image in fullscreenLéger at his restaurant
Photograph: Denis Dalmasso/The GuardianWhen an old friend
he confided in her that he felt he was wasting his life
“but that possibility hadn’t even occurred to me.” When he saw a TV programme about Ferrandi Paris
a plan began to form in his mind: to open his own restaurant
which at that time received at least half a dozen applications for every place on its coveted adult cooking course
Whenever he requested permission to leave the prison for an interview or administrative task
the authorities either refused his request or responded too late
“I understand they aren’t obliged to make life easy for a professional criminal who is doing 20 years and decides he wants to cook,” says Léger
all they did was throw a spanner in the works.”
who continued to visit him after his move to Béziers
Though educational opportunities are hard to come by in prison
She recognised someone with great psychological strength who might actually do something with those skills
But she had an ulterior motive for bringing him into her class
which consisted mainly of mouthy young men
“A profile like his commands respect,” she says
Léger didn’t say much during lessons – he was too busy learning Excel – but when he did
The Béziers prison couldn’t have been more different from Les Baumettes
basic products were more expensive than on the outside
“Where is it written that you should make money out of prisoners?” he says
he took up a place at Ferrandi – paid for with Mireille’s help
His persistence with the prison authorities had paid off
too; he had managed to get himself transferred to La Santé prison in Paris
on condition that he returned to his cell each night
Initially his mentors were told only that he was a prisoner; the other students weren’t allowed to know even that
what has he done?” says one of those mentors
then returned to a very different milieu at nightThe new student’s unusual name meant that Touzelet could easily Google him
but also that he hadn’t been convicted of any violent crimes
the hardest working and the most dedicated”
earning a perfect score for his red mullet accompanied by a black olive and thyme tapenade
rouille sauce and crushed herby potatoes – a dish with unmistakable notes of Marseille
The eight months at the school were wonderful in one way – an opportunity to shine doing what he loved – but torture in another
Apart from the shock of encountering a world that had moved on – travelling on trains whose passengers were glued to their phones (had there been a catastrophe?)
learning to order fast food from a computer – he found juggling his double life incredibly tough
he wore no handcuffs or electronic bracelet
listening to them chat about their blameless lives
then returned to a very different milieu at night
“There were times when I no longer knew who I was,” he says
since his schedule left him no opportunity to do so in prison
as when the class was required to weigh gelatine to within a gram or two – more accuracy than the average kitchen scales provide
“I let slip: ‘We need a dealer’s scales,’” says Touzelet
“then swore inwardly and glanced at Krishna
He understood it was the price he had to pay for being treated naturally.” Nevertheless
it was a liberation in more ways than one when
Touzelet recommended him to a colleague who worked as a second to the Parisian chef Guy Savoy
who was setting up a bar in Paris specialising in artisanal beers
Doridam gave him his first paid role running a kitchen: “There were people who didn’t like beer who came every lunchtime for Kris’s cooking.”
he was violating the terms of his parole and in danger of being sent back to prison
He persuaded a bank to give him a loan – no mean feat given his criminal record – and bought the converted farmhouse that houses Volver for a snip at €32,000
He sold his scooter to make up the shortfall
salvaged some of his kitchen equipment from Caractère
View image in fullscreenLéger with his daughter
when she was four Photograph: Courtesy of Elyne LégerSince he wasn’t yet allowed to own a business in the region
with his daughter Elyne – now in her early 20s – as managing director
Less than a year after the restaurant opened its doors
and once the first lockdown had been lifted
“He often uses quite humble and local ingredients,” says another
lots of fresh vegetables.” The poached egg with mushrooms
herbs and parmesan cream is a reliable hit
People make detours to taste his limoncello baba
Léger is now looking to take on a second in the kitchen
so he can devote some time to his next project: a training centre where former prisoners can learn the basics of the restaurant trade
The idea is to offer them decently paid work
while at the same time addressing the shortage of staff in the trade post-pandemic
She understands Léger’s anger towards the system she represents
“When you have to manage a very large number of people
with the means at the disposal of the justice system and rehabilitation services
it’s difficult to tailor those services to individuals.” But she also believes that the system can be a force for good
and that it is people like Léger – who turn their experience into something positive – who make her job worthwhile
“You don’t see people like Krishna every day,” she admits
he says that the same skills that made him a good firefighter
a certain fearlessness – make him a good chef
though he considers the justice system unfit for purpose
he also acknowledges that it is the reason he is talking to me in his own restaurant today
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France’s prison inspection agency this week published a scathing report on conditions at Marseille’s notoriously dilapidated jailhouse
which it described as amounting to “a grave violation of fundamental rights”
and has called on the government to take urgent remedial measures at the almost 80-year old prison where overcrowding reaches 146%
The insalubrious and understaffed prison was officially declared a fire hazard in 2011 and is
cockroaches and louse where racketeering and violence are rife
FranceFrance’s prison inspection agency this week described conditions at Marseille’s notoriously dilapidated jailhouse
as “a grave violation of fundamental rights” and has called on the government to take urgent remedial measures at the almost 80-year old prison where overcrowding reaches 146%
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François Fillon devait personnellement payer plus de 50 000 euros non remboursés par l’État
Bruno Retailleau s’est démené auprès du parti Les Républicains et la dette de son ami a été épongée
Le ministre de l’intérieur a présenté un nouveau texte
il a vanté des mesures visant à promouvoir l’« assimilation »
mais celles-ci n’ont en réalité rien de nouveau
la CGT Cheminots et Sud Rail appellent conducteurs et contrôleurs à la grève pour dénoncer le manque de visibilité sur leur temps de travail
Si les syndicats promettent une montée en puissance du mouvement
la direction de la SNCF minimise sa portée et s’en prend aux grévistes
Le président de la République veut accueillir les cerveaux américains
Mais sa peinture de la France en paradis de la recherche et des libertés académiques ne passe pas
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Marseille
the Calanques National Park is one of France’s most breathtaking spots
Here’s everything you need to plan a visit
‘Calanques’ in French translates roughly as ‘rocky inlet’. But the calanques of Marseille aren’t just any rocks: they’re staggeringly beautiful limestone cliffs that spill into turquoise coves
like the Mediterranean’s (much warmer) answer to the Norwegian fjords
A total of 26 make up the Calanques National Park (Parc National des Calanques)
a 200-square-mile treasure trove for hikers
Sprawling across Marseille and Cassis, Europe’s largest peri-urban park seduces in all seasons
Every Marseillais has their calanque of choice
Whether you’re craving a killer hike
a cool dip or a charming port to amble around
this handy guide will help you find yours – along with some advice on how to tread lightly to protect the park’s precious flora and fauna
📍 The best things to do in Marseille😋 The best restaurants in Marseille
On the southern tip of Marseille, this quaint fishing port is the gateway to the Calanques National Park and a great starting point for easy ambles or epic hikes. Reward your efforts with a bite at Grand Bar des Goudes or a drink at nearby bar 20,000 Lieues
This lovely little port is well worth a visit: embark on the 50-minute hike down from Luminy
which is prettier than the fire road from Les Baumettes
and reward yourself with a dip. Or take in the sweeping view from above on a hike to Cap Morgiou
where you’ll also get the chance to check out the prehistoric Cosquer cave paintings at Anse de la Triperie
With its picturesque white cliffs and blindingly blue coves, it’s no surprise that Sugiton is the most popular calanque. It’s best to avoid Sugiton in summer, even if the new reservation system is helping to keep crowds down
To visit, take the fire road from Luminy to a well-marked trail
The Belvédère viewpoint is very much worth the detour
This snorkelling paradise was home to Jacques Cousteau’s first scuba dives. It’s Marseille’s largest calanque and also boasts a beautiful sandy beach. For hikers, the prettier and fastest route leaves from Les Baumettes. To score a parking spot, book a table at Le Château (open April to September) or arrive in the early months of the off-season
An easy 50-minute hike from Callelongue (the last stop on the 20 bus), this idyllic turquoise cove is ideal for swimming and sunbathing. Bring a picnic, or some euros if you want to dine at Chez Le Belge
a laidback beach shack just steps from the sea
The skinny port and ancient limestone quarry at Port Miou are just a 20-minute walk from the village of Cassis
An hour more takes you to the soaring cliffs
remote sandy beach and neon-blue waters of En Vau
which have earned it a reputation as one of the most beautiful calanques
Not technically part of the Calanques National Park
this island archipelago is nevertheless worth a shout: its calanques are the closest to Marseille’s city centre
with boats leaving most days from the Vieux-Port. Highlights include the medieval Château d’If prison
and the rocky coves of Pomègues if you want more peace and quiet
Many calanques are accessible by bus. Take line 19 to Madrague de Montredon for Les Goudes and Croix de Marseilleveyre
or line 22 to Les Baumettes for Morgiou and Sormiou
You can drive to Les Goudes throughout the year
Morgiou and Sormiou are open to cars in the off-season
or you can beat their summer parking ban with a restaurant reservation
the Route de la Gineste’s stunning switchbacks are gorgeous any time of year
Les Goudes is the gateway of the Calanques, and from April to October, Marseille’s public ferry La Navette is the best way to beat the summer traffic. For the Îles du Frioul, the year-round Le Bateau express shuttle ferries passengers daily
Work up a sweat before your swim with a kayak or paddleboard rental. Raskas Kayak offers guided tours for all levels from Les Goudes or Cassis. Rent a paddle board from 1,2,3, Kayak to spend a day exploring Les Goudes
Photograph: ShutterstockThere’s no better start than a sunrise in the Calanques. A short walk east of Les Goudes, the graffiti-splashed Blockhaus des Goudes – a German WWII bunker – is a perfect perch to watch the sky light up in orange and pink. Grab a café at the century-old Grand Bar des Goudes or breakfast at Feel Goudes
Head towards the tiny Callelongue port to follow the coastal GR 98 trail for three hours to Sormiou. Replenish with grilled fish on Le Château’s terrasse
Take a post-lunch nap on the sandy beach or a dip in the turquoise cove.
Reserve a private skipper via Click n’ Boat to pick you up for an afternoon sail
Ask to drop anchor at the blindingly blue Île Riou coves
Back in Les Goudes, kick back with a beer at 20,000 Lieues
the lune illuminates an easy amble to Marseilleveyre – ideal for a moonlight swim on sultry summer nights
Photograph: ShutterstockMost people begin their hikes in Calanques National Park at Luminy
or Madrague de Montredon (all accessible by bus.) There are hundreds of different trails to amble
clamber up to Croix de Marseilleveyre (the name roughly translates to ‘see Marseille’)
Whether departing from Montredon or Pastré
the jaw-dropping scenery and steep sections will make your heart race
Set aside around three hours for a round trip.
Forget the picnic and pair your hike with a tasty sit-down meal. From Luminy, descend 50 minutes to Bar Nautic for fresh fish alongside the picturesque port at Calanque de Morgiou. Return back via Les Baumettes to Chez Ze to fill up on wood-fired pizza and Provençal fare
it’s cash only at this secluded spot.
You can visit all three of Cassis’s calanques on one moderate hike
take the aptly named Avenue des Calanques to the slender Port-Miou
Follow the red & white GR 98-51 markers along the sea to Port Pin
A steep descent gives way to a flatter path to En Vau
The hike takes roughly an hour and fifteen minutes each way from Port-Miou
Photograph: ShutterstockThere are a few things you should know before setting out for your Calanques adventure
If you’re visiting from June 1 to September 30, check the national park’s website
Trails can be closed for fire risk if it’s too hot or the mistral wind is blowing
so avoid hiking around midday in the summer
and be sure to bring lots of water and snacks
Trails meander through cool shade and blazing sun and you never know when it might get windy
Though a sturdy pair of sneakers will suffice
you might want to think about hiking boots and poles for the tougher trails
And even if you’re headed down to the beaches
since the limestone rocks can be quite slippery.
The trails are marked by coloured swatches painted on rocks
They can be confusing to spot at times – don’t hesitate to ask a local for help
Or pick up an IGN Les Calanques map to get a great lay of the land
Splurge on brunch and sunset cruises on a Levantin catamaran – or rent a budget-friendly boat to yourselves on Click n’ Boat
The closest Marseille ports to the Calanques are Pointe-Rouge and Les Goudes
Check that your skipper has a green pass for park access
a new system to protect this fragile maritime reserve
Got your sea legs on? Check out more of the best boat trips from Marseille
camping isn’t allowed in the Calanques National Park
But you can book a stay amidst the Calanques to disconnect from the city bustle and truly connect to its natural splendour.
Photograph: ShutterstockSince the Calanques National Park was established in 2012
The park now welcomes over 2 million visitors annually
When combined with the city’s increased pollution and fire risk
this makes the park’s incredible biodiversity more fragile than ever
try to avoid the crowded calanques (like Sugiton and Sormiou) in the summer
and be sure to pick up your trash (that includes cigarette butts)
And if you’re thinking of visiting by sea
kayaks and paddleboards offer a less intrusive way to explore the coves than travelling by boat
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a gastronomic restaurant has opened its doors in the Baumettes prison in southern France's Marseille
Thirteen prisoners have been trained to work in the restaurant
By Virginie Le Borgne
the chef Sandrine Sollier accompanies one of the inmates
CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP All smiles
Amir* entered the minimalist and neatly decorated beige and brick-colored room and described the four cocktails on the menu to his customers
Khalo* tried to hide his stress by constantly wiping his glasses
a chef and her assistants were busy in the kitchen and the manager was giving advice to his team and weaving in and out of everyone to check that service was going well
Nothing distinguishes the Marseille restaurant Les Beaux Mets from any other..
it is located within the walls of a prison
customers have to pass through a security gate
and reserve a table online at least four days in advance
the time needed for a criminal record check
'It was a little hard at first because you have to have a certain demeanor towards customers and speak formally
is the first French gastronomic restaurant located in the heart of a prison
located in one called Baumettes in Marseille
Close to the scenic Calanques National Park
the restaurant will be located in the SAS (Structure d'accompagnement vers la sortie)
The inmates in the SAS are people sentenced to less than two years or who have less than two years left to serve
You have 71.16% of this article left to read
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Nine-year-old Shadene's face lights up; her father who is in a Marseille prison has just appeared through a door on the other side of the boxy
reaching to touch the window separating father and daughter
Also read: Little minds with big questions about the pandemic
blows kisses to the little girl and two of his sons but heading back up the stairs to his cell at Baumettes prison in the southern French port city
I don't have time to make the most of them
to give each of them some time," says Kamel
who is two years into an eight-year jail sentence for fraud
"I'm happy to see him but I couldn't tell him about my school trip," she says
like all the prisoners and children quoted in this story
have been changed to protect their identity
The visit on a Saturday in February is nothing out of the ordinary
AFP was able to witness it after gaining rare authorisation to attend prison visiting
as part of a more than 12-month investigation into parenthood from behind bars
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees a child's right "to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents on a regular basis"
It also stipulates that states party to the convention "render appropriate assistance to parents..
in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities"
Also read: Simple, DIY gifts for Mothers' Day
Some 600,000 children have a parent in prison on any given day in the European Union
according to estimates by the Children of Prisoners Europe network
children see their parents in the prison visiting room
which at some sites is large with no privacy and
the best interests of the child are still not sufficiently taken into account in the country's prisons
visitation creates feelings of "insecurity"
It leaves very little time for the child," she added
Such obstacles lead to "a relationship which wanes
only becomes bigger when detainees and their children constantly try to "protect the other" by concealing things like depression
Also read: How to prevent yourself from catastrophising
36-year-old Magali hid the truth from her young daughter
fearing the effect it would have on her of hearing that her mum was locked up for four years
"I used to let her think I was in hospital," says Magali
who grew up with a father habitually in and out of prison
"when she knew how to decipher (the word) 'prison' on the front of the building
Having encountered the prison bars on a weekly basis though
the little girl had already figured it out
Family is key in helping a prisoner to think ahead to the future
said Baumettes prison director Yves Feuillerat
has learned to read while in prison so he can write letters home to his children
where there are more children with a prisoner in the family than with divorced parents
prisoners get dedicated time with their children to do simple things like helping them with homework or giving them a bath
the scheme has widened out to other regions and reoffending rates have halved
a British justice ministry study has shown
mothers are permitted to "serve part of their sentence at home
provided they have children under 10 years old"
But France has been criticised for hampering visiting rights and has been condemned several times by the European Court of Human Rights over prison conditions
"Incarceration must not mean abandonment," psychologist Florence Duborper said
She heads a support group that helps prisoners and families in Marseille avoid a breakdown in contact
Families have suffered greatly during the pandemic
which completely halted prison visiting for two months in France last year
Parent-child meet-ups outside of normal prison visits resumed in October but are sporadic
Kamel no longer has the heart to see his two-year-old who cries behind the plastic barrier
I haven't held my children in my arms for a year
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from his strategic base at MAMO and all the way into marseilles’ beaches, invader pays tribute to the phocean city and its mediterranean culture
making it the second largest city to be invaded by invader in france after paris
the exhibition begins le corbusier’s cité radieuse where visitors can witness the behind-the-scenes through maps
the artist placed mosaics around the arts center
as well as a monumental I invade MARS visible from the roof terrace
by exploring what it really means to be in situ
the INVADER WAS HERE exhibition expands from the gallery space into the city
from the calanques to notredame de la garde
invader has applied his concept of urban acupuncture to the area through strategically positioned works
the mosaics are all unique in terms of colors
and have been created to reflect their specific location in marseille
an invasion map has been created specifically for the exhibition
mapping the artist’s footsteps around the city
and showcasing the full extent of the intervention.
location: MAMO — marseille
dates: 28 august – 11 november 2020
AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function
but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style
Marseille's historic Baumettes prison closed its doors in June 2018 when another prison was inaugurated nearby
the photographer Marco Barbon explored its cells and courtyards
trying to find traces of the former occupants
By Gilles Rof (Marseille Correspondent)
The cell walls are still covered in torn posters and the cups in the wardens' room have lingering coffee stains
Weight machines gather dust alongside sad empty shelves
When he stepped into the historical buildings of Marseille's Baumettes prison at the end of 2019 – nearly a year and a half after the prison administration permanently abandoned the site – Mr
Barbon did not expect to be so directly confronted with such vivid and intimate traces of those who had lived behind these high walls
a prison complex built on an adjoining plot of land at the foothills of the Calanques National Park
the official date of the closure of the site
conquering the courtyards and sports fields with weeds
the prison's doors and windows left open to the wind
that broke the "spectral silence" of the place
The sun bathes the cells with Marseille's unique light and warms the dilapidated walls. It feels timeless and could almost make one forget the dreadful state of this prison from a bygone age. France's controller general of prisons condemned its "appalling detention conditions" in a shocking 2012 report that ended up accelerating plans for the total reconstruction of the prison
You have 43.42% of this article left to read
C’est une étape importante dans l’histoire de l’une des prisons les plus connues en France
Vidé de ses détenus depuis 2019 (relogés dans le bâtiment Baumettes 2 livré en 2017) et totalement désaffecté
le bâtiment historique des Baumettes était voué à la démolition
des cellules aux conditions d’hygiène déplorable
révélées au grand jour après une visite du contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté en 2012
Une « honte pour la République » selon les propos tenus par le Président de la République de l’époque
Les travaux de démolition de ce bâtiment érigé dans les années 1930
Un nouveau centre pénitentiaire baptisé Baumettes 3 verra le jour en 2025
et offrira de meilleures conditions de travail au personnel avec
la création d’un établissement pénitentiaire unique dont l’ensemble des services sera mutualisé
si l’immense mur qui entoure la prison sera conservé dans le projet
le mur qui sépare les Baumettes historiques des Baumettes 2 sera détruit
L’objectif est de réunir l’ensemble des services du centre pénitentiaire
le site de plus de 4 hectares regroupera les bâtiments de détention