Thread: Tensions high as migrants block roads to Calais port

April 20, 2016 - 12:00:00 am

Calais port

Lille, France: Migrants from the Jungle camp in Calais used branches to block roads into the northern French port early Tuesday as officials warned they were stepping up attempts to reach Britain.

Over the past three weeks, there has been a sharp increase in migrant attempts to stow away in the back of lorries which then board ferries or shuttle trains to England, officials say.

Such attempts have stoked tensions with the police after a period of calm following last month's dismantling of part of the sprawling Jungle camp.

"Migrants once again attempted to slow down the traffic by placing branches on the road to obstruct lorries heading to the port of Calais," a spokesman for authorities in the Pas-de-Calais area told AFP.

"Migrants are cutting down and putting branches, and even tree trunks, on the road and they are operating simultaneously in several places."

Police unions fear the rise in incidents heralds a difficult summer as the flow of migrants into Europe begins to pick up again and some try to reach Britain, where they believe their chances of finding work are highest.

The concern is that their numbers will be depleted in June and July because officers will be deployed to Euro 2016 football matches in the northern cities of Lille and Lens.

"I fear a rise in tensions and more and more problems because thousands of migrants are arriving in Italy, even if some are going back to Turkey. My colleagues have had enough because there is no solution," said Bruno Noel from police union Alliance.

Another union representative, Gilles Debove, said two units of riot police were overstretched as they tried to unblock the roads.

"Everyone pretends everything is fine in Calais, but it's just not true. I'm choosing my words here, but the situation is still a hell of a mess," said Debove of the SGP Police-Force Ouvriere union.

French and British charities say nearly 5,000 people remain in the Jungle, but the government says that figure is vastly inflated.

AِFP

The Peninsula Qatar - Tensions high as migrants block roads to Calais port

The first time I was in Europe in 1985 I remember seeing a lot of Africans in France, and there were also a lot of young, male Middle East refugees elsewhere because of the Iran-Iraq war. I'm not sure how they got in then, but I know this is a very old problem.

Two drivers are attacked in Calais rest area by 20-strong mob of Britain-bound Eritrean migrants

Victims were set upon at parking area on the A26 autoroute near Choques

Frenchmen were left with fractures, cuts and bruises in the vicious attack

There are claims the two men were mistaken for Afghan people traffickers

By IAN SPARKS FOR MAILONLINE PUBLISHED: 15:14 GMT, 14 April 2016 | UPDATED: 16:12 GMT, 14 April 2016

Two drivers have been violently attacked by a gang of British-bound migrants at a motorway rest area near Calais.

A group of around 20 Eritrean immigrants armed with sticks and rocks are said to have mistaken their victims for Afghan people traffickers.

The vicious assault - which left the two Frenchmen with fractures, cuts and bruises - illustrates the war between rival migrant gangs to control motorway service areas, which have become the main points for sneaking aboard vehicles heading to the UK.

Two drivers have been violently attacked by a gang of British-bound migrants at a motorway rest area near Calais


A group of around 20 Eritrean immigrants armed with sticks and rocks are said to have mistaken their victims for
Afghan people traffickers. Pictures show the damage that was caused

One of the victims was attacked as he pulled into the rest area on the A26 autoroute near Choques in a utility van while the other was already parked up.

Pictures of the smashed up cars were shared on Facebook and on a petition set up to end such acts of violence.

British drivers are now being urged to avoid stopping at motorway rest areas within 20 miles of Calais.

A police source told Le Figaro newspaper: 'It's the first time we have seen such an act of violence towards ordinary motorists outside of Calais itself.

'The victims have pressed charges but so far none of the attackers have been identified.'

British hauliers unions have long raised fears about violence towards drivers, with numerous reports of migrants armed with sticks and knives trying to break into their trucks.

There are currently around 5,000 migrants sleeping rough in Calais, all hoping to sneak aboard lorries, cars and ferries to the UK.

Two drivers have been violently attacked by a gang of British-bound migrants at a motorway rest area near Calais (file picture)


British hauliers unions have long raised fears about violence directed towards their drivers (file picture)

Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart recently blamed Britain's 'black market economy' and 'cushy benefits system' for the illegal immigrant crisis in her town.

She said the UK should be forced to abandon border checks for travellers arriving from Europe to help move the migrants away.

Ms Bouchart said: 'They want to go to England because they can expect better conditions on arrival there than anywhere else in Europe or even internationally.

'There are no ID cards. They can easily find work outside the formal economy, which is not really controlled.

'Calais is a hostage to the British. The migrants come here to get to Britain.

'The situation here is barely manageable. The UK border should be moved from Calais to the English side of the Channel because we're not here to do their jobs.'

Two drivers are attacked in Calais rest area by 20-strong mob of Britain-bound Eritrean migrants | Daily Mail Online