HOLY CRAP! Man lives in airport for 10+ years!

[ThaGrandCow]

link to article

I just can't even imagine going even 24 hours in an airport, much less a year. I think I would have killed myself at about the 2 - 3 year mark.

For the people that want to call BS: Snopes lists this as true.

 

:Q

 

[poopaskoopa]

Got this from imdb.com. A movie called The Terminal is being made based on his story:

Inspired by the story of Merhan Nasseri, an Iranian refugee. In 1988, he landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris after being denied entry into England because his passport and United Nations refugee certificate had been stolen. French authorities would not let him leave the airport, and there stayed, in Terminal One, a stateless person with nowhere else to go. He has since been granted permission to either enter France or return to his own country. He instead chooses to continue to live in the terminal and tell his story to those who will listen.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Good read.

Strange man.

 

[FuZoR]

10 years!!! jeeze!

 

[Mill]

That just pissed me off.

 

[ntrights]

Incredible

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

:|:disgust:Worst. Country. Evar.:disgust::|

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: Mill
That just pissed me off.

which part of it?

Its just really sad to me.

 

[Ogg]

wow he is probably certifiable

 

[brxndxn]

Originally posted by: Jfrag
:|:disgust:Worst. Country. Evar.:disgust::|

agreed.. The US would have at least lost him in obscurity and left him out of the airport.

 

[IGBT]

...lives on airport french fries...put him in charge of security...

Nasseri is known for his honesty and refusal of charity. On two occasions he turned in billfolds full of money that had been mislaid by passengers. Airline and airport personnel push meal vouchers on him so he can eat. "French fries are my favorite," he confides. "It's not a very healthy diet, but I get enough."

 

[Danman]

Wow, that's crazy.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero

Originally posted by: Mill
That just pissed me off.

which part of it?

Its just really sad to me.

The fact that he has been screwed over, and now leads a basically useless life.

 

[Doggiedog]

Hmm. Tough choice. France or Iran.

I would choose death.

 

[ElFenix]

:Q

 

[Kelemvor]

Yet another reason to hate France.

 

[freegeeks]

another linky with some more details.

it's clear to me that stupid Belgian bureaucrats are to blaim for this mess. It's a catch22 situation
it's also clear to me that the guy is nuts for years now because he refused the asylum that Belgium offered him in 1995 because they mentioned his nationality as Iranian.

I'm Belgian and I never heard about this case


edit:

I found some other information claiming that he was not mugged but that he sent his refugee papers back when he received them in 1981

Having spent years roaming Europe and being refused asylum, in 1981 he was granted refugee status and identity documents in Belgium. But it seems he sent them back to the Belgian authorities "in a moment of folly"....

A 10-year legal battle has finally resulted in him being given the original "refugee card" he was granted in 1981.
He can now apply for a titre de voyage, a passport for refugees, and a titre de sejour entitling him to stay in France. Looking somewhat bewildered, he said he would probably not be leaving the airport after all.

linky

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Yet another reason to hate France.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Yet another reason to hate France.

Can't you idiots read? Tons of people are at fault here. Great Britain could issue him asylum and have him deported there. Lots of countries dropped the ball.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

welcome to 5 years ago...

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Yet another reason to hate France.

Can't you idiots read? Tons of people are at fault here. Great Britain could issue him asylum and have him deported there. Lots of countries dropped the ball.

Yes I can, but the fact that France ALLOWS him to sit there in THEIR friggin airport tells me that THEY suck. Duh.

At least GB had the sense to kick him back to France if they didn't want him.

 

[GreenGhost]

He could have easily disappeared in Paris; I'm sure he would find other immigrants to help him. If he had been caught, he would just go back to the airport.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: DurocShark

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Yet another reason to hate France.

Can't you idiots read? Tons of people are at fault here. Great Britain could issue him asylum and have him deported there. Lots of countries dropped the ball.

Yes I can, but the fact that France ALLOWS him to sit there in THEIR friggin airport tells me that THEY suck. Duh.

At least GB had the sense to kick him back to France if they didn't want him.

No, obviously you CANNOT read, because it says France can't deport him anywhere because NO ONE claims him.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
welcome to 5 years ago...

...so are you telling me that this is a repost or are you calling me stupid for not knowing about this from 5 years ago? Either way you're a moron.