- Title: Police dismantle a makeshift shelter camp in Calais
- Date: 10th July 2020
- Summary: MIGRANTS AT CAMP SEEN ON MIRROR IN MIDDLE OF SIGN WITH BRITISH FLAG SIGN WITH BRITISH FLAG AND TENTS AT CAMP MIGRANTS AT CAMP CLOTHES ON CLOTHESLINE (SOUNDBITE) (French) VOLUNTEER WITH "SALAM" ASSOCIATION THAT HELPS MIGRANTS, GRETA CALARME, SAYING: "This morning, we've observed the dismantlement of several camps, since migrants are scattered around the city. When we arrived at the usual point for food distribution, there were police water cannons at the roundabout as we arrived, so we had to look for places where the people were, to be able to give them food." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS PACKING UP BELONGINGS (SOUNDBITE) (French) VOLUNTEER WITH ASSOCIATION "AUBERGE DES MIGRANTS", ALEXANDRA, SAYING: "What's deplorable is that the same thing happens all the time. There are always dismantlements, there are always people who come back, and the problem is that right now, there are more people because it's the summer and people are coming. That's always been the case for years. So I don't know what the solution is, but what will be good, now that we have a reshuffled government, it's time for us to think together about what we can do and how we can do them, because unfortunately, I don't think it's going to get better." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS GATHERED, SITTING
- Embargoed: 24th July 2020 15:16
- Keywords: Calais France camp dismantlement migrants police tear gas
- Location: CALAIS, FRANCE
- City: CALAIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002CM86YIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Police forces dismantled a makeshift shelter camp in the northern French port of Calais on Friday (July 10), removing hundreds of migrants in one of the biggest operations of its kind in the last several months.
Since the easing of the coronavirus lockdown and the reopening of the borders within the European Union, migrants have begun to flock to Calais again, hoping to reach Britain via the Channel Tunnel.
On Friday, some 519 people living in the camp were taken by bus to various reception centres. Another 20 people deemed to have irregular immigration status were arrested and taken to detention centres, local authorities said in a statement.
The dismantling started at around 5 a.m. and was over by noon. Authorities said it went calmly.
According to charities helping refugees, there are about 1,200 migrants in Calais, mainly of Sudanese, Eritrean, Afghan and Iranian origin. Police have also dismantled the nearby Grande-Synthe camp, near Dunkirk, on Thursday (July 9), according to association Auberge des Migrants.
Since the dismantling of the huge "Calais Jungle" in 2016, where up to 9,000 people lived, migrants are now scattered in several camps, most on the outskirts of Calais.
(Production: Pascal Rossignol, Ardee Napolitano) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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