This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/france-begins-slow-dismantling-of-giant-calais-migrant-camp/2016/02/29/311ff84c-dedb-11e5-8c00-8aa03741dced_story.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
France begins slow dismantling of giant Calais migrant camp Police oversee dismantling of giant Calais migrant camp
(about 2 hours later)
PARIS — French authorities began dismantling the sprawling refugee camp in Calais on Monday, taking down tarpaulin roofs and plywood walls that have been the temporary home for thousands of migrants hoping to make their way to a better life in Britain. PARIS — Under the eye of hundreds of riot police, workers began pulling down tents and makeshift shelters in the sprawling camp in Calais on Monday, dismantling the fragile structures that have served as temporary homes for migrants hoping to make their way to a better life in Britain.
A flashpoint on the edge of the Channel, the camp sprang up years ago in the port city, which has both ferries and the Eurotunnel rail to Britain. But it has grown explosively in the past year amid Europe’s migrant crisis, now housing about 4,000 people and fueling far-right sentiment in both Britain and France. A flashpoint on the edge of the Channel, the camp sprang up less than a year ago in the port city, which has both ferries and the Eurotunnel rail route to Britain. It has grown explosively in past months amid Europe’s migrant crisis, fueling far-right sentiment in both Britain and France. Some 4,000 people are estimated to live in the camp — down from 6,000 in December.
One by one, helmeted workers pulled down makeshift structures where migrants sleep in the southern sector of the camp, after a court ruled that the shanties could be destroyed but not the common spaces that have also sprung up, like places of worship, schools and a library. Calais has lived with migrants in its midst for years, but the current camp on the city’s edge sprang up around a day center opened last April by the state — and after small camps inside the city were bulldozed. The dismantling of the dense southern portion of the current camp would be the largest such operation the city has known.
A cordon of police formed a perimeter around the demolition crews, to block what local authorities described as “intimidation” tactics by activists. Scores of riot police stood guard, keeping journalists and volunteers out as helmeted workers tackled the shelters one by one.
French authorities have offered to relocate uprooted migrants into heated containers installed last month nearby or at centers around France where they can apply for asylum. Many have resisted the move, fearing it will hurt their chances of reaching Britain, and some migrant advocates say there isn’t enough space in the new area. Prefect Fabienne Buccio, who had ordered the camp evacuated and dismantled earlier this month, showed up as the operation began.
“Really three houses out of four — I mean three huts out of four, or three tents out of four — were already totally abandoned with a lot of garbage inside,” she said. Migrants, she said, “had the time necessary to gather their belongings. The rest was good enough to throw away.”
However, cameras zooming into huts captured scenes of daily life fully intact.
The start of what is likely to be a weeks-long operation came four days after a court ruled that shelters could come down — but not common areas like houses of worship, a school, a women’s center and library, much of it built with the help of French and British volunteers appalled by conditions in the makeshift camp.
Humanitarian groups and migrants who had contested the state decision to level the most populous sector of the camp filed an appeal to the ruling on Friday with the Council of State, but any decision is likely to take weeks or months, long after the camp is gone.
French authorities are offering to relocate uprooted migrants into heated containers installed last month nearby, or at centers around France where they can decide whether to apply for asylum. Many have resisted the move, fearing it will hurt their chances of reaching Britain, and some migrant advocates say there isn’t enough space in the new area.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.