Thread: Three police officers injured in clash with migrants near Calais

Three police officers injured in clash with migrants near Calais





Migrants sleep and rest on a wasteland, near the port of Calais, CREDIT: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP

Agence France-Presse

2 SEPTEMBER 2017 • 10:16PM

Police fired tear gas and three officers were injured on Saturday in clashes with migrants near the French port of Calais who took advantage of a traffic jam to sneak onto trucks, authorities said.

Calais is a magnet for people aiming to reach Britain, a short distance across the Channel.

"Our British colleagues had opened only nine out of 14 lanes this weekend though we expected 9,000 vehicles in the Eurotunnel and 7,500 at the port," local deputy police chief Jean-Philippe Vennin told AFP.

He said the lane shortages considerably slowed down traffic on the main A16 motorway and at about 1430 GMT (4:30 pm), around 50 migrants "took advantage of the bottleneck to board a few trucks".

An AFP correspondent on the scene said there were about 60 migrants waiting near the motorway.

Police engaged "in a game of cat and mouse" and used tear gas to disperse the migrants, said Vennin.

Three officers were injured in the clashes, a union source said, but gave no information on whether any migrants suffered injuries.

Migrants who successfully climbed onto a truck were then chased away by the driver after being alerted by nearby motorists, the source added.

The A16 motorway is the principal artery for freight and passengers heading for Britain either via the Channel Tunnel or the Calais port.

French authorities shut down the notorious "Jungle" camp there last October, which at its height was home to some 10,000 people living in dire conditions.

Despite the camp’s closure, the French town remains a springboard for migrants trying to reach Britain by stowing away on lorries heading into the Channel Tunnel.

Fighting and attempts to break into trucks heading for Britain are regular problems for the police there.


Three police officers injured in clash with migrants near Calais

Gang of migrants clash with French riot police leaving three officers injured as they try to board UK-bound lorries stuck in Calais traffic jams full of shocked British holidaymakers

Violence flared after the French blamed the British for not opening enough lanes

The disturbance saw at least 60 mainly young men try to board UK-bound lorries

Local police officers used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the men

By Peter Allen In Paris
PUBLISHED: 11:08 BST, 3 September 2017 | UPDATED: 12:03 BST, 3 September 2017

Three police officers were injured during clashes with migrants trying to get on board UK-bound lorries struck in traffic jams in Calais.

Violence broke out after the French blamed the British for failing to open enough vehicle lanes at the end of the holiday season.

Saturday’s disturbances saw at least 60 mainly young men trying to take advantage of the chaos, as officers used tear gas and baton charges to disperse them.


Three police officers were injured during clashes with migrants trying to get on board UK-bound lorries struck
in traffic jams in Calais (pictured)


Violence broke out after the French blamed the British for failing to open enough vehicle lanes at the end of the
holiday season

Local police chief Jean-Philippe Vennin: ‘Our British colleagues had opened only nine out of fourteen lanes this weekend, even though we expected 9000 vehicles in the Eurotunnel and 7500 at the port.’

When travelling from France to Britain, travellers have to clear both French and British immigration and customs checks.

Mr Vennin told French news agency AFP that the lane shortages slowed down traffic on the A16 motorway, which was full of holidaymakers returning from the South of France, and other parts of the country.

It was on a stretch of road just before the Tunnel and Calais port that groups of mainly Afghans, Eritreans and Sudanese looking to claim asylum in Britain ‘took advantage of the bottleneck to board a few trucks’.

Mr Vennin said his officers were forced into ‘a game of cat and mouse’ with the migrants, all of whom eventually managed to run away before any arrests could be made.

It is not known if any of the migrants were injured in the clashes, which saw the three unidentified police officers hurt.

The Calais area is officially a no-go area for asylum seekers following the destruction of the so-called Jungle camp last October.


Saturday’s disturbances saw at least 60 mainly young men trying to take advantage of the chaos, as officers
used tear gas and baton charges to disperse them


Migrants were trying to exploit the traffic chaos by jumping on UK-bound lorries (pictured)

It was razed by the French authorities, who forcibly dispersed some 8000 men, women and children across France, telling them not to return to the Channel ports.

But they have been slowly returning since then, setting up illegal camps, just as they have done so for the past 20 years.

There are regular disturbances, with the police particularly concerned at the way improvised road blocks are used to try and stop lorries.

Not only are HGV drivers and other road users threatened, but migrants themselves are also regularly killed or severely injured after becoming involved in road accidents.

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