A Malian immigrant to France is being hailed as a hero after scaling four stories to rescue a stranded child. The four-year-old child appeared to be suspended from the balcony with a man on an adjoining balcony unable to reach him. But, 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama sprang into action, adeptly climbing up to the fourth floor in under 30 seconds to rescue the child. This took place in an area of Paris called the 18th, and Gassama has already been labeled the “Spider-Man of the 18th”.
Video of the incident shared widely on social media, and it’s helped shine a spotlight on the contributions of immigrants to France. And, much like in the U.S., immigration has been a subject of controversy in France. In last year’s presidential election, right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen vowed to suspend immigration and said immigrants were a “threat” to French values. Still, immigration remains a topic of controversy in France, with the influx of refugees having increased in years prior to due the ongoing crisis in Syria. In fact, the French government just dismantled a Parisian migrant camp of 2,500 only days before the rescue.
Gassama, however, is now seeing a different kind of treatment. He’s since met with French president Emmanuel Macron, who offered to speed along his immigration papers and even offered him a job with the Paris Fire Brigade. He even encouraged Gassama to submit naturalization papers, which would allow him to become a French citizen.
Of course, if you are an immigrant to France, this probably isn’t your best bet to naturalization. Data from the French Interior Ministry shows that only five people in 2017 were granted residency papers for “exceptional talent” or “services rendered to the community.” And, Macron even argued Gassama is the exception, not the rule, saying: “An exceptional act does not make a policy.”
Still, people in France and around the world are thanking the Parisian Spider-Man. And, if Gassama ever gets tired of France, we’re pretty sure he has a future in the U.S. on American Ninja Warrior.
What do you guys think? Is there any way you’d be able to climb up four stories in under 30 seconds, or at all? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
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