Calais: massive jungle eviction confirmed for 17 October
Wanneer: 10/10/2016 - 12:59
There is further confirmation that the mass eviction of over 10,000 people living in the “jungle” shantytown in Calais will begin in one week’s time, on Monday 17 October. We repost below a rough translation from a French corporate TV station (via watchtheborders).
The word is that 19 companies of CRS riot cops (there are a total of 60 companies) plus 15 companies of Gendarmes Mobiles (riot cops of the Gendarmerie militarised police) have been ordered to Calais from all over France. As is common practice, the state has clearly been leaking information about its eviction plan in order to scare people into leaving the area in advance.
Reportedly, a thousand CRS has received the order to be ready from Monday, October 17 in the Calais region to start operations to evacuate the camp of migrants.
Seven thousand migrants to evacuate. The police have just received their orders for the evacuation of the “jungle” of Calais. In a telegram sent by the Place Beauvau to all zonal CRS commands, the fixed Interior police forces will take ten days to regain possession. According to this document, the mission entitled “operation Calais dismantlement” will last from Monday October 17 to Thursday October 27th. In all, 19 companies of CRS will be used throughout this period.
Prevent the resettlement of migrants
According to our information, 15 units of mobile gendarmes forces (UFM) are also provided for this major operation. Part of the CRS will be assigned to the same operation of the dismantling of the camp. Others will filter the access of people to the camps during operations. Moreover, another hundred CRS will have the operation of securing sites where migrants will be taken. Finally, the remaining forces – more than half of the CRS – will be used to prevent the resettlement of migrants in the Calais area.
A thousand men mobilized
As well as the presence of CRS, nearly 150 local policemen will be involved, including officers of the (plainclothes) BAC anti-crime brigade of the departmental security. It also asked the police to ensure the safety of goods outside of the evacuation operation, including “impermeability of the port area”, the free movement on the ring road and the motorway as well as in city.
Contacted by LCI, the Interior Ministry declined to comment, confirm or deny this information.
Some further information and a call from Watch The Borders:
Many people in France, UK and other countries are mobilizing and they want to help.
Come preferably before the 15th October, as from that date the police will probably start closing the access roads to the jungle, letting in only selected volunteers from associations who have chosen to collaborate with the eviction. The authorities are very happy to see people out the camp, but they do not want them to resettle anywhere in the Calais territory. If you want to do something you better do it earlier than the eviction date. We are NOT calling for people to come and stay in the jungle because it is too dangerous and scarcely useful. But for days before the eviction the roads will be still open. Ideally supporters should come forward NOW to protest the eviction, help monitor the situation, link with the camp residents, and keep in touch with them via mobile phone. There is limited internet access in the jungle, bring more mobile phones, many cheap ones but also some smart phones, 3G English is the best and a top up is only 20 pounds for 1 month unlimited internet access. So when the blockade begins we can still stay in touch. Some of us will stay in the jungle to monitor and protect people for what we can – but we do not want people to join because it is really dangerous: police are using very nasty CS gas (Nobel Securitè again) it makes you go down and it makes you really ill; they are firing tear gas and rubber bullets directly at people, causing huge numbers of appalling injures; they have new guns with laser lights and they are pointing them at people, they pointed at a journalist and they have shot also activists and volunteers during incidents on the motorway AND at the protest last Saturday, 1st October: a local anti racist had a rubber bullet flying few inches from his head. The press reported 5 cops lightly injured, but nobody knows how many people in the camp – I hope none in serious condition, nobody went to hospital as far as I know but they did fire in the crowd.
All the French government has to offer in reality is a program of mass dispersal and mass deportations. Most of the accommodation places promised are yet to be found. No plans for minors, women and their children, families and vulnerable people. There are many more than 10.000 people in the jungle, many more.
Most of all we would like to hear for plans to delay the eviction, at least until the new accommodation places are found; at least until there are solutions for the minors, the women, the families with young kids.
Many people do not want to go to the new accommodation places (CAOs) because they want to go to UK not stay in France. People who have finger prints in other European countries do not want to go because mostly they get deported back there directly from the CAOs.
Source: http://rabble.org.uk/
See also: Calais: total jungle eviction may begin on 17 October - https://www.indymedia.nl/node/36172
Eviction and dismantling – we demand humanity and freedom
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