French police dismantle Calais migrant camp
French police have launched an operation to dismantle a makeshift camp
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By inthenews. |  |
Tuesday, 22, Sep 2009 12:25
By Sarah Garrod.
French police have launched an operation to dismantle a makeshift camp set up by migrants near Calais.
Human rights protestors have gathered in the area shouting: "No borders, no nation, no deportation", and some arrests have been reported.
The camp, known as 'the jungle', is home to hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers, and this morning it was surrounded by hundreds of French police who moved in to evict those living there. Many of those living in the camp are asylum seekers from Afghanistan, of which there are many children.
Some refugee groups have urged the UK government to take in the asylum seekers, but home secretary Alan Johnson has said he was "delighted" about the closure of the camp, adding that genuine refugees should apply for asylum in the country where they entered the European Union.
Mr Johnson said: "Both countries are committed to helping individuals who are genuine refugees, who should apply for protection in the first safe country that they reach.
"We expect those who are not in need of protection to return home."
Reports this morning say about 300 migrants are still in the camp, with about 1,000 believed to have already left. It is said rights activists initially formed a human chain as the operation began to stop the migrants from being evicted, but French police have claimed all will be given the right to apply for asylum or voluntary assisted repatriation.
However, the Refugee Council has said the closure of the camp will fail to provide a long-term solution unless accompanied by dramatically improved arrangements to identify vulnerable refugees. The council said they were shocked by the poor living conditions in the jungle when they visited it in May.
Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council said: "Closing down the camps is treating the symptom, not the cause. We know that among the migrants in Calais are refugees seeking a place of safety, and some are very vulnerable indeed.
"This is a European-wide problem, which needs a European level solution.
"Standards for looking after refugees differ greatly among European countries, with some countries having particularly poor systems that fail to offer safety to those who need it. Until there are adequate arrangements in place in all European countries to look after refugees the problem in Calais will not go away."