- Hundreds of migrants held a traditional Islamic prayer service surrounded by the makeshift tents they call home
- It comes amid the systematic demolition of the southern half of the illegal camp which is home to 3,800 migrants
- Council workers have been trying to convince migrants to move out of destruction zone, but many have refused
- For a third day straight, a dozen Iranian migrants sewed their mouths shut as a protest to the camp's demolition
Published: 13:38 EST, 4 March 2016 | Updated: 14:52 EST, 4 March 2016
Hundreds of Muslim migrants were today photographed praying in the so called Calais Jungle, which is being systematically torn down by French authorities.
They were pictured holding a Friday prayer service, surrounded by the makeshift tarpaulin-covered tents they have called home.
Officials said demolishing the south section of the Jungle would take at least a month, but they have yet to announce what will happen to the rest of it.
Local official Vincent Berton said: 'The idea is not to rush things. There are some zones that are easier than others. We must act very pragmatically, very humanely.'
Council workers have been trying to convince migrants living in the destruction zone to move to official centres around France or to heated shipping containers near the Jungle.
Hundreds of Muslim migrants were today photographed praying in the so called Jungle encampment in Calais
The men held a traditional Friday prayers service among the makeshift tents, and restaurants, in the illegal camp
But many have refused to give up on their dream of sneaking aboard lorries to the UK - and have shifted to even more squalid camps further along the northern French coast.
The population of the sprawling migrant camp is currently 3,800, down from its peak of 6,000 last year after thousands were relocated, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told BFM television today.
He said France has set up 102 shelters across the country to house the migrants and blamed a handful of 'extremists' for inciting protests and violence in the Jungle.
However, Cazeneuve admitted to feeling 'immense compassion and sadness' for a dozen Iranian migrants who sewed their mouths shut as a protest to the Jungle's demolition.
For a third day straight, the men faced up to the riot police who have been brought in to protect the workers dismantling shacks in the illegal encampment.
Cazeneuve also sought to defuse a diplomatic row over the fate of the migrants should Britain leave the EU, saying there was 'no question' of letting them cross the Channel to the UK freely.
Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and war in the Middle East and North Africa converge on the jungle, from where they make desperate bids to reach Britain
France's Interior Minister today said the population of the illegal camp is currently 3,800, down from its peak of 6,000 last year
The Friday prayers came as French authorities continued to systematically demolish the southern half of the camp
Riot police (right) have been brought in to protect the workers who were tasked to take down the makeshift tents the migrants call home
Council workers have been trying to convince migrants living in the destruction zone to move to official centres around France
But many have migrants have refused to give up on their dream of sneaking aboard lorries to the UK
He said: 'If we open the border tomorrow, what will happen? The British, who run their own border, will block them and send them back.'
He added that the move would only increase the flow of people and 'aggravate a humanitarian problem'.
The diplomatic row broke out Thursday when France's outspoken Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said camps similar to the Jungle could also spring up on Britain's southern shores.
He told the Financial Times that a so-called 'Brexit' would scupper a bilateral agreement that allows Britain to conduct border controls on the French side of the border.
He said: 'The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais.'
Asked about his comments during a summit meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, President Francois Hollande merely warned that 'there will be consequences [to] the way in which we manage migration issues' if Britons voted to leave the EU in an upcoming referendum.
Cameron warned last month that a Brexit could mean British border checks being removed from Calais and that 'there would be nothing to stop thousands of people crossing the Channel overnight'.
But campaigners in favour of Britain leaving the 28-member bloc accused Cameron of scaremongering.
Hundreds of migrants were pictured holding a Friday prayer service, surrounded by the makeshift tarpaulin-covered tents they have called home
As Muslim men prayed in the squalid camp, around a dozen Iranian men sewed their mouths shut for a third straight day as a protest to the camp's demolition
David Cameron warned last month that a Brexit could mean British border checks being removed from Calais and that 'there would be nothing to stop thousands of people crossing the Channel overnight'.
Iranian migrants with sewn lips protest against the dismantling of the makeshift shelter migrant camp the 'Jungle' in Calais
Observers are sceptical that France would make a move that would only draw thousands more migrants to its northern coast.
Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and war in the Middle East and North Africa have gathered in the 'Jungle', from where they make desperate bids to reach Britain.
The French government this week began dismantling the southern half of the camp, facing protests from residents who do not want to leave.
Firmly set on crossing the Channel, the migrants fear that if they move to better accommodation provided for them, they will be forced to apply for asylum in France.
Thousands of migrants converge in Calais in the hopes of sneaking across the Channel to the UK. The shanty town has become a flash point in diplomatic relations between France and the UK, with far-right groups holding protests in both countries.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3477056/Prayers-Jungle-Muslim-migrants-hoping-reach-Britain-hold-Friday-religious-service-makeshift-structures-Calais-camp-demolition-continues.html#ixzz423GK14Cz
No comments:
Post a Comment