By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe
PARIS, France — On Tuesday, a group of workers in orange jumpsuits and hardhats began demolishing the migrant camp in Calais, France known as “the jungle” by tearing down shelters used by the migrants with sledgehammers. The workers also disposed of migrants’ possessions by throwing them into dumpsters.
Tuesday was the final day that residents were officially allowed to reside in the camp. On Monday, over 3,100 migrants were bussed out of the camp and sent to other regions around France to begin the process for resettlement.
Some migrants appear determined to stay in the camp for as long as possible. On Monday evening, a group of migrants threw stones at police officers, who responded by firing tear gas back at them. Two migrants from Afghanistan told reporters that they refuse to leave the camp because doing so would mean giving up on their dreams to make it to Britain.
Other migrants are ready to leave the camp in hopes of finding better living conditions elsewhere. One Sudanese migrant, Hassan Jibril, explained how “it is a very bad situation here” and that he and his companions are “ready to leave.” Another Sudanese migrant, Abdullah Umar, explained that “[t]he Jungle is no good” and “[t]here are problems. Sometimes there’s fighting. And it’s cold.”
It is unclear how French authorities will enforce removal from the camp. Prior to the destruction process, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said that migrants would not be forced to leave the town of Calais. Brandet maintained that the evacuation process was to be “done on a voluntary basis and no coercive measures will be taken towards the migrants.”
Children are the only group allowed to remain in Calais throughout the demolition process. They will be housed in converted shipping containers while the deconstruction process continues throughout the rest of the camp. Save the Children, a non-governmental organization working with the children in the camp, fears “many children may disappear” or end up in the hands of traffickers if the camp is cleared completely before the children are secured safe places to stay.
The French government’s goal is to remove all migrants from the camp by the end of the week, and clear the camp site completely by the end of December.
For more information, please see:
BBC — Calais ‘Jungle’: Demolition Crews Pull Down Migrant Camp — 24 October 2016
CNN — Calais ‘Jungle’: Demolition of Massive Migrant Camp Begins — 24 October 2016
The Guardian — Calais Camp: Demolition Crews Move In — 24 October 2016
NY Times — ‘We Are Ready to Leave’: France Clears Out Calais ‘Jungle’ — 24 October 2016
