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‘Spiderman’ migrant hero becomes French citizen
PARIS, Sept 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The migrant hero nicknamed “Spiderman” for
saving a child hanging off a balcony by scaling a Paris apartment block with
his bare hands has become a French citizen, according to a government decree.
Nimble 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama from Mali was granted a fast-track to
French nationality and a job in the fire service after the daring rescue in
May.
“This act of great bravery exemplifies the values which help unite our
national community, such as courage, selflessness, altruism and taking care
of the most vulnerable,” said the official document published Wednesday.
Gassama, who had been in France illegally, was catapulted to global fame by
the extraordinary feat captured in footage seen by millions on social media.
The video showed the former construction worker jumping from one floor to
the next, hauling himself up with impressive athleticism towards the four-
year-old boy dangling above.
He was congratulated in person by President Emmanuel Macron two days later
and also met Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in the capital of the
West African country.
Gassama arrived in France in September 2017 after travelling the perilous
Mediterranean migrant route and found a job in the construction industry
despite not having the right to work.
He has received international acclaim for his bravery but activists have
accused the French government of “hypocrisy”, pointing to its treatment of
other migrants.
In August a controversial asylum and immigration bill was signed into
French law, designed to accelerate asylum procedures by cutting the maximum
processing time.
The new law was passed despite opposition on the left which decried an
effort to limit arrivals while the far right saw the measure as not going far
enough.
BSS/AFP/RY/13:50 hrs