Author Topic: Props to the french police (Read 313 times)

Elano · « **on:** September 22, 2009, 03:46:49 AM »

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Tears and fights as French police clear Calais 'Jungle'

French police moved to clear migrants out of their makeshift camp in Calais today amid screams, tears and fights with protesters.

Scuffles broke out as the camp, known as "the Jungle", was emptied in an intervention ordered by the French Government.

Police said afterwards that they had arrested 278 people, 132 of them under the age of 18. It was not clear whether this figure included earlier arrests. The operation began at daybreak as the 150 or so Afghans remaining in the camp gathered around a fire under the glare of television cameras.

As 60 vans of riot police drove up to the perimeter of the woodland base, the migrants took down the sign which hung on the biggest of their blue tarpaulin tents: it said "mosque".

One handed a glass case containing a verse from the Koran to a UN worker.

''This was their most sacred possession and they didn't want it destroyed so they've given it to me for safekeeping,'' she said.

Minutes later, as the evacuation got under way, the migrants – virtually all Afghans – formed a circle that was surrounded by leftwing protesters.

Burly riot police bundled the activists out of the way and pulled the Afghans from the crowd one by one before marching them off.

Amid scenes of chaos, a woman fell to the ground, a male protester yelled as he was seized around the neck and an Afghan teenager cried unconsolably. With a member of a human rights association holding his head in her hands, he too was led away.

''No border, no deportation,'' shouted the protesters. ''Take that one to the police station, he's getting on my nerves,'' replied a commanding officer, pointing to one of the activists.

Within half an hour, the clearout was finished – three years after migrants first started squatting in wasteland that became their home.

All that was left were their home-made tents, litter and their meagre belongings – a pair of used black shoes, a tube of toothpaste, a dozen eggs.

It had been a simple matter for French police used to far tougher assignments. Eric Besson, the Immigration Minister, had made it easy for them by announcing last week that he intended to dismantle the Jungle.

As a result, the majority of the 800 migrants who used to sleep there had already left for other camps or squats in or around Calais.

Those remaining knew they would be arrested but wanted to mark their disapproval.

''The Jungle is our house. Plz don't destroy it,'' they had written on a sheet draped by the fire.

Bilal, 18, said: ''Whevever we go in Calais, the police will catch us. The Jungle is the only place we can call home, where we are not afraid.''

Most of these arrested were taken to detention centres in the region, which had been cleared to leave room for them.

Those under the age of 18 were separated from the adults and transported to social service hostels.

The French Government says that all the migrants will be invited to seek asylum in France.

But Michel Flahault, spokesman for L'Auberge des Migrants, a refugee support group, said: ''It's all completely useless. They'll be released with a few days and within a month they'll be back in another camp.

''This has just been a big photo opportunity so that the Government can show its doing something and keep the people of Calais happy.''

Critics point out that more than half of the 1,000 to 2,000 migrants in Calais live in other squats anyway. Several dozen Eritreans, for instance, have taken over abandoned houses by the quayside .

Mr Besson said that the evacuation was necessary because the Jungle had become a base for people-smugglers and was "insalubrious".

His supporters point out that there was an outbreak of scabies at the camp this summer.