Modern slavery in Champagne

Ferdinand von Vopelius, 12.10.2023

More than 50 people of African origin were transported from Paris to the Marne Valley to help with this year's champagne harvest - in sometimes inhumane conditions.

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They were housed in deplorable and makeshift conditions in a building with a mud floor, no ceiling and little hot water. The shelter where they were trapped was only revealed when an alert neighbour called in the authorities. On September 15, French authorities closed the shelter, noting that it was "undignified and unsanitary" and that the bathroom was in "a repulsive state."

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