A British aid convoy on its way to the main refugee camp in Calais has been banned from entering France. Authorities have cited security concerns, but activists have taken their protest to London.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Devlin
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A group of activists in a 200-vehicle convoy hoping to bring aid to refugees near Calais were blocked in the English port of Dover on Saturday by French authorities citing security concerns.
Activists then began an impromptu rally at Dover, chanting and holding up signs with slogans such as "solidarity with refugees." They also told local media they would continue their protest in London: "We're going to dump some of the aid on the (French) embassy steps and say, ‘you stopped us from delivering this, you deliver it',” John Rees, one of the organizers, said.
Over the past several months, a coalition of refugee advocacy groups has been collecting aid from around the UK as part of the "Convoy to Calais" project.
France cites security worries
The convoy of more than 200 vehicles left London on Saturday morning with the aim of delivering its aid cargo in Calais by the late afternoon.
But French border police cited security concerns, saying the vehicles would be barred from leaving Dover. France has been under a state of emergency since the Paris terror attacks last November.
The activists had decided to try and accomplish Saturday's mission despite authorities telling them they would be unable to cross the Channel.
The Calais migrant camp is home to around 4,000 people, mainly from Afghanistan and Sudan.
A report released this week by the United Nations Children's Fund reported horrific living conditions for minors in the sprawling camp in Calais. It said unaccompanied migrant children were forced into crime and prostitution on a daily basis in order to secure a place in the camps, or the promise of reaching the UK.
Clashes break out as Calais migrant 'Jungle' dismantling begins
Police used tear gas to disperse dozens of migrants who lined up to prevent them pulling down the makeshift camp. Hundreds of tents and temporary shelters were torn down.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Valat
Migrants ready for confrontation
Dozens of migrants and activists faced off with French riot police at the Calais migrant "Jungle" on Monday, as workers began bulldozing the shantytown. Around 4,000 migrants - many of them from Syria and Iraq - have made the camp home and other sites around the town, as they attempt to reach Britain and apply for asylum or live illegally.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Temporary homes set ablaze
At least three makeshift shelters were set ablaze by migrants and activists to disrupt a French government order to pull down around a third of the camp, which sits on the outskirts of the northern French port town of Calais. Rows and rows of tents, caravans and wooden structures stretch for approximately 4 square kilometers (1.5 square miles).
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Tear gas used as bulldozing begins
Clashes broke out between several migrants and police who used tear gas and water cannon to disperse those blocking their work. Two people were arrested during the scuffles. On Monday, French authorities brought dozens of riot police, after being threatened by activists on Friday when they first tried to partially tear down the site.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Water cannon helps disperse dozens of migrants
Police used water cannon to help disperse dozens of people who refused to leave the camp. French authorities said the migrants were given ample notice to quit and that many of the tents and wooden structures had already been abandoned.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Huguen
Many migrants are determined to stay
One migrant threatened to slash his wrist as police tried to evict him from the camp, which is bult on the site of a former toxic waste dump on the outskirts of Calais. A whole city has sprung up over the past year, complete with church, mosque, school and medical facilities.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Partial destruction of the 'Jungle' begins
Police and construction workers have been given permission to dismantle the southern end of the migrant camp. Two bulldozers and around two dozen workers moved in on Monday to start pulling down the shacks. But a judge in the French city of Lille insisted that many of the vital community facilities on site remain untouched.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
'Jungle' conditions worsened over winter
Despite the best efforts of charities and church groups, conditions in the camp have deteriorated over the past few months. French authorities have encouraged migrants to move to better facilities in Calais itself or to apply for asylum in France and move to another city.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D.Charlet
'Warmer, safer' alternative housing offered
A fully-heated accommodation center, made of shipping containers, has been put up close to existing camp to house up to 1,500 migrants. But many people have complained about a lack of communal spaces and that their movement is restricted.
Image: DW/L. Scholtyssyk
Home to those escaping war and hunger
The Calais 'Jungle' has regularly hit the headlines despite playing just a tiny role in the current European migrant crisis. Compare its 4,000 inhabitants to events on the Greek-Macedonian border, where in just a few days, approximately 22,000 refugees have become stuck, due to border entry restrictions.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Desired destination...Britain
Most of the migrants have traveled to Calais because they want to reach Britain. Ever day, dozens attempt to climb onto trains or into the back of lorries, travelling through the Eurotunnel or by ferry to Dover, in England. Last summer, hundreds of migrants tried to scale security fences and enter the rail-only tunnel that links the UK and France.
