France starts dismantling migrants’ camp
CALAIS: French authorities yesterday started clearing thousands of migrants from a makeshift camp near the northern city of Calais, with hundreds of people lining up to be registered and driven to accommodation centres throughout the country.
Nearly 6 500 people have been camped near Calais, many hoping to cross the English Channel and reach Britain.
With the government’s decision to dismantle the camp, the migrants – from Sudan, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other countries – are due to be transported to centres around France, where they can begin applying for asylum.
Hours after the official registration began, things remained calm and there were no confrontations with the police.
Local mayor Natacha Bouchart said while there was relief at the start of the operation, officials were concerned about the risks presented by anti-border protesters or smugglers. She also raised doubt about whether the operation would be permanent.
“We are afraid, after the dismantling… one of the worries is that the squats will pop up again,” Bouchart said.
On Sunday night, rubbish bins were burnt and some migrants faced off with police as they tried to reach the highway, a spokesman for the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais said. Police used tear gas, but no one was injured, the spokesman said.
About 1250 police officers have been called in to help with the operation, which is expected to last about a week. Migrant associations have raised concerns about a fraction of people who said they would continue to try to reach Britain.
Authorities are defending their decision to dismantle the camp as a humanitarian choice, with a spokesman for the Interior Ministry saying the accommodation and assistance with asylum procedures will allow people to live with more dignity.
“This is an important day. The state is making a considerable effort,” Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said.
While the government promised to dismantle the camp before winter set in, authorities had to wait until some 7000 spots were found in temporary centres.
Most of the centres to receive the migrants are located in the south of France, far from the northern port city where many people had set up camp with the hope of being able to cross the English Channel via trucks or through train tunnels.
France has also started reuniting some unaccompanied minors with family in Britain, after French President Francois Hollande and former British prime minister David Cameron made an agreement last spring.
Minors who remain at the camp near Calais will be temporarily housed in a container centre, built by the state last winter to provide accommodation to 1 500 migrants after the southern part of the temporary camp was bulldozed.
The plan to dismantle the camp, which has been in place for more than a year, has been long-disputed. Non-profit organisations have also criticised the move as a temporary fix, similar to other operations in the past that dismantled migrant camps near Calais only to see them reappear.