FRANCE: Residents near the "Jungle" camp housing refugees in Calais are glad to see the controversial camp close.

Record ID: 346125

  • Title: FRANCE: Residents near the "Jungle" camp housing refugees in Calais are glad to see the controversial camp close.
  • Date: 22nd September 2009
  • Summary: CALAIS, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 21, 2009) (REUTERS) REFUGEES WITH BANNERS IN "THE JUNGLE" BANNER READING "WE NEED SHELTER AND PROTECTION, WE WANT PEACE" REFUGEES IN THE MAKESHIFT CAMP REFUGEES HOLDING A MEETING IN THE CAMP REFUGEE IN FRONT OF BANNER READING "THE JUNGLE IS OUR HOME" (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) AFGHAN REFUGEE MOHAMMED BACHIR SAYING: "I am from Afghanistan, a local province, my life was in danger there, I was going to die there, so I had to find a safe place for myself to stay." MAKESHIFT TENTS IN "THE JUNGLE" BAR WHICH IS NEXT TO THE CAMP LOCAL RESIDENTS IN THE BAR CAFE OWNER JEAN-LOUIS TEUSSET SERVING DRINKS (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH) CAFE OWNER JEAN-LOUIS TEUSSET SAYING: "It just pushes the problem elsewhere, but for us it is better. They have been there on our doorstep for five years now and residents are fed up. There are lots of local children here, ten or twelve years old missed out on their childhood because it wasn't safe for them to go out on the streets. When you see that they fight amongst themselves, then you can imagine that they would fight us too. So in terms of security here, I think it is a good thing. We don't know where they will go, but everyone has their turn, there was Sangatte over there and now it is our turn, and then we will see." LOCAL RESIDENTS IN THE BAR (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH) LOCAL RESIDENT WALTHER MESNIL SAYING: "It's a shame, but then there was quite a lot of trouble and people started to complain, at the start they were peaceful, but there are a lot of young people and a lot of human trafficking, and there were a lot of problems. People were fed up." REFUGEES GATHERING ON THE STREETS HOUSE WITH FOR SALE SIGN SIGN IN GARDEN "BEWARE OF THE DOG" RESIDENT IN THE STREET GRAFFITT ON WALL READING "FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. FREEDOM FOR FOREIGNERS" STREET OUTSIDE CAMP
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAASCHIQB5ZLOQT8KNXAXZXYJGH
  • Story Text: Residents in Calais are glad to see the closure of the controversial "Jungle" camp housing refugees on their doorstep. The refugees themselves however, say they have no choice and will just go elsewhere.
    Tension is mounting at an illegal migrants' camp in Calais that has been the jumping off point for hundreds of asylum seekers bound for the UK, after the French government has vowed to close the place down by the end of this week.
    The makeshift camp, known as 'the Jungle' is home to an estimated 300 mostly Afghan migrants desperate to enter Britain. It is an untidy assembly of improvised tents and cabins made from wooden pallets and tarpaulins strewn with rubbish left by the hundreds who had passed there.
    Local residents say they will be glad to see the camp close, the proximity of the refugees were causing security issues and driving house prices down. The local bar tender who's premises are across the road from the camp said that it meant local children couldn't go out and play the same and were missing out on their childhood.
    "It just pushes the problem elsewhere, but for us it is better. They have been there on our doorstep for five years now and residents are fed up. There are lots of local children here, ten or twelve years old missed out on their childhood because it wasn't safe for them to go out on the streets. When you see that they fight amongst themselves, then you can imagine that they would fight us too. So in terms of security here, I think it is a good thing. We don't know where they will go, but everyone has their turn, there was Sangatte over there and now it is our turn, and then we will see," Jean-Louis Teusset said.
    "It's a shame," local resident Walther Mesnil said. "But then there was quite a lot of trouble and people started to complain, at the start they were peaceful, but there are a lot of young people and a lot of human trafficking, and there were a lot of problems. People were fed up."
    The Afghan refugees in the camp said they would simply look for another place to set up a camp. Mohammed Bachir said they all had reasons why they had had to leave their countries, and that no-one would choose to live in conditions like the ones in the makeshift camp unless they had a good reason.
    "I am from Afghanistan, a local province, my life was in danger there, I was going to die there, so I had to find a safe place for myself to stay," he said.
    Last Wednesday, Immigration Minister Eric Besson said the camp would be closed down as it posed an intolerable burden on the local population and was a magnet for criminals and human traffickers who prey on the migrants.
    The issue of migrants gathering near the entrance of the northern France has been a running sore in relations between France and Britain, which is keen to stem the flow of illegal migrants through the Channel ports.
    The current 'jungle' sprang up after the closure in 2002 of a formal refugee camp in the nearby village of Sangatte under pressure from Britain, which was concerned that it acted as a magnet for refugees.
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