French authorities have begun using bulldozers to demolish parts of a refugee camp in Calais to create a buffer zone. Some 1,500 of the camp's residents have been or will be forced to move.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
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The bulldozers on Monday took the first steps toward clearing a 100-meter-wide (100-yard-wide) strip next to a highway that runs next to the so-called "Jungle" refugee camp in Calais, which houses some 4,500 people waiting for an opportunity to get to Britain.
DW correspondent Diego Cupolo was at the scene.
The operation had originally been scheduled for last week but was postponed, possibly owing to efforts by volunteers and refugees to move makeshift homes from the area before the bulldozers came.
The buffer zone is intended as a security measure for the highway, which leads to the Eurotunnel, where asylum-seekers often try to enter trucks bound for England. Most of them are caught by police and sent back.
With winter setting in, the French government has been constructing a more permanent camp next to Calais, but efforts to persuade "Jungle" inhabitants to move there have been met with resistance.
Many of the refugees are reluctant to leave a place where they have built up an established community, while others fear that the hand prints required by French authorities from people who move to the new camp might affect their chances of moving on within Europe.
Officials insist the hand-scanning system is solely a measure to increase security.
Longstanding camp
Migrants wanting to get to Britain have been gathering in Calais for some years now, but their numbers have grown rapidly amid the huge surge in people fleeing to Europefrom conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa in the past year.
The number of people in the "Jungle" camp reached a peak of 6,000 over the summer.
However, the population has dwindled somewhat since then, as many have managed to cross the Channel by ferry after paying mafia groups to help them stow away in trucks.
Facing partial eviction, migrants scramble in Calais 'Jungle'
French officials called for a buffer zone to be cleared between a road leading to the Eurotunnel and the 'Jungle' refugee camp, causing residents to scramble to save their dwellings. Diego Cupolo reports from Calais.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
The relocation effort
Independent volunteers have been helping Calais residents move their homes after French authorities called for a 100-meter buffer zone to be cleared around a highway adjacent to the camp. "We hope to let them keep their dignity and whatever self respect they still have after being stuck in this dump," said a volunteer who wanted to remain anonymous.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
24-hour police presence
Pictured above, the highway leads to the Eurotunnel, where asylum-seekers try to jump on trucks to enter England. There's heavy police presence in the area and many who attempt the journey are caught, but remain undeterred. Mohammed Shakh, a 21-year-old Syrian said, "Plan A is truck to England. Plan B is train to England. Plan C is boat to England."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
By any means necessary
After passing the initial Thursday deadline, the exact date the buffer zone will be cleared remains unknown. Volunteers have been rushing to move makeshift homes by any means necessary, and some believe their efforts have so far warded off bulldozers. By Friday, nearly 100 existing shelters were relocated in the camp and 40 new homes were constructed away from the highway.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Clearing more than brush
Members of Care4Calais have been clearing areas of thorny shrubs, garbage and often times, human waste, in effort to make space for new homes. "I received so much hospitality when I lived on Afghanistan's doorstep and I want to show them that same level of respect and hospitality now that they've come to my doorstep," said Care4Calais volunteer Ruth Boggiuth.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Holding out, peacefully
Meanwhile, some refugees living in the demolition area continue living in their shelters. Approximately, 1,500 of 4,500 camp inhabitants will be affected by the new buffer zone. "I'm not moving my house," said Saifullah Barati, an Afghan who's passed four months in Calais. "If the police want to move it, they can do it. I'm not going to fight them."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Container camp
The French government is currently building a camp next to Calais, which is expected to house about 2,000 people, but many asylum-seekers said they would not move in because entry requires their palm prints to be recorded by authorities - a measure they fear will limit their residence options in Europe and force them to stay in France.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
French resistance
"We see how France treats us," said Mohammed Shakh, a Syrian refugee, while speaking inside his shelter. "They think we are stupid and we will give them fingerprints to stay in the new camp. It is like a jail there. They won't let us leave after we enter and I never want to live in this country."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Tensions rising
The eviction notice along with increased police presence have resulted in more violence inside the camp, according to MSF engineer Maud Le Quintrec. After scabies, the second most common reason for doctor visits in Calais is now due to injuries obtained during fights among refugees and nightly clashes with riot police, Le Quintrec said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'The problem is spreading'
"People understand that the government might begin to slowly reduce the size of Calais so they are moving out and creating new 'jungles' in other places." Le Quintrec said, noting 120 inhabitants from Calais recently settled a new camp in Belgium. "Basically, some people are responding by leaving and the problem is spreading to different areas."
