Yellow triangle: the health badge of homeless people is controversial in Marseille

The protest swells in Marseille. In question ? A “relief card”, intended for the homeless in the city, in the form of a yellow triangle. On this badge – which is supposed to be worn in a visible way – had to be registered the name, the first name and the social security number of the person wearing it, as well as his chronic illnesses. It also included allergies, date of birth, attending physician, or even the person to be notified. 300 cards have already been distributed in Marseille. In the face of the outcry, the town hall announced that a new card – which should only bear the identity of the homeless person, the name of the person to be contacted in an emergency and perhaps the blood rh – would be distributed.

“There is a problem of confidentiality, of stigmatization, it goes against all the street work that we do”, had denounced Raymond Negren, head of the street mission of Médecins du Monde in Marseille, before that the town hall does not go back on the contents of the card. “The practice of medicine, even in the street, respects ethics, and medical confidentiality is due to homeless people as to others”, added Pierre-François Pernet, a doctor who works with the association.

At the initiative of the town hall of Marseille and the Samu Social

Beyond the content, it is the symbol that shocks. The yellow triangle conspicuously worn around the neck is a particularly disturbing symbol for many associations: Education Without Borders Network and the League of Human Rights have criticized the resemblance between this card and the yellow star that the Jews were obliged to wear during WWII. A hundred people demonstrated Wednesday in front of the City Hall of Marseille, at the call of the association “The Last Judgment”.

This measure, implemented by the town hall of Marseille and the Samu Social, is presented as a “good intention”. Xavier Mery, deputy mayor of Marseille, delegate for integration and the fight against exclusion, said he was “scandalized by the absurd controversies surrounding the relief card”.

“This card, which is not intended to be visible to everyone, above all allows firefighters and healthcare personnel to collect essential data in order to identify, help effectively and often save the lives of these people deprived of any social link, ”assured Xavier Mery.

In 11 years, France has seen the number of homeless people increase by 44%. This population reached 111,700 people in 2012, in agglomerations with more than 20,000 inhabitants in mainland France. In 2012, nearly 31,000 children were homeless in France, according to a INSEE report.