In Calais, the State expelled more than a hundred times a month the exiles of the camps
In the north of France, near Calais, where migrants seek to cross to the United Kingdom, the State’s strategy remains intact. Namely: evict every 48 hours the informal places where these people survive. Beyond the physical and psychological consequences of this police harassment, these evictions from camps are accompanied by the systematic seizure of shelters and personal effects. See their destruction. In its new annual report, the teams of human rights observers (HRO) detail these actions of the police, which are not sufficiently highlighted.
In 2021, 1,226 evictions from informal settlements were reversed by Human Rights Observers (HRO). That is 102 evictions per month. More than three a day. The State’s strategy in Calais is now well-oiled: to evict each camp every 48 hours – these places regrouping several dozen exiles, called “Jungle” by these. These evictions are part of the authorities’ so-called “zero fixation point” strategy, which has been running since 2018. Namely: to avoid at all costs that a camp becomes too large, by forcing people to move.
HRO, a project led by the historical association L’Auberge des Migrants, is able to document nearly 90% of evictions in Calais. Its teams scrupulously note the actions of the police. Their previous annual report counted 967 evictions from informal living spaces in Calais in 2020.
It’s the same scenario every time. First of all, “a police convoy with disproportionate numbers goes to the places of life”. Some exiles, accustomed to expulsions, have already moved elsewhere with their personal belongings. Many stay put. Facing them, the police are often armed. Agents from the private cleaning company APC, a state operator, accompany them. Alongside the police, these agents seize the shelters and personal effects of migrants.
On this point, the figures make you dizzy. No less than 5,794 tents and tarps were taken in one year, according to HRO. And 2833 sleeping bags and blankets. There is a place in Calais, the Ressourcerie, to collect them. It was taken into account in a new place, and under a new protocol, in January 2022. The associations point to its schedules and its unsuitable location. And its absurdity. “ The old protocol, like the new one, is only a legitimization of the systematic theft of the belongings of exiled people., had reacted HRO in January.
“Blankets, mattresses and other effects are thrown in the mud”
In Grande-Synthe, a neighboring town, HRO is able to document nearly 60% of evictions. Its teams tested 61 evictions from informal living spaces in 2021. If they are less regular than in Calais, the figures for confiscated equipment are striking. In one year, law enforcement and cleaners have ” destroy “ 4,327 tents and tarpaulins, as well as 918 sleeping bags and blankets.
Destroyed? “All belongings – tents, tarpaulins, blankets, but also backpacks which still contain identity documents, medical prescriptions and treatments, mobile phones etc – are systematically destroyed, whether or not the owner is present. The tents are lacerated and emptied, the blankets, mattresses and other effects are thrown into the mud”, says HRO. The Ramery company is in charge of this, in Grande-Synthe. All this in the presence of a bailiff, and sometimes under the watchful eye of the sub-prefect of Dunkirk.
Finally, sheltering is far from being systematic. In Calais, for example, they are not offered during evictions, according to the associations. Except during evacuations of great magnitude”, such as the so-called HRO, during which buses are provided to take the exiles to accommodation centers, sometimes located hundreds of kilometers away. HRO counts 15 operations of this type, in 2021. They are assimilated to removals from the border. In fact, their report states that a number of people are being forced onto these buses. And that the destination is never communicated before departure.
Unaccompanied minors are particularly weakened by these expulsions. HRO claims to have encountered 123 of them on the Calais camps, on average, each month. And 55 on average in Grande-Synthe.
Tickets to observations in Calais and Grande-Synthe
The police keep the observers at a distance each time. “ Before we arrive on site, there is no security perimeter. As soon as we arrive, they set it up », explains Francesca, member of the HRO. Or, “Obstacles to observation are on the rise. Police They increasingly large security perimeters”she observes.
These hindrances do not stop there. In June 2021, an HRO member is arrested and taken into custody while observing an eviction. In March 2021, two members of HRO, despite having proof of professional travel, were fined for non-compliance with confinement.
In 2020, 337 “mobile” law enforcement officers – CRS and squadrons of gendarmes – were deployed along the northern coast of France to control the border with the Channel. These are the units that are in charge of evacuating the Calais and Grande-Synthe camps. UN parliamentary inquiry report published at the end of 2021 quantifies the cost of this deployment: at least 86 million euros of public money. In a single year.
Photo credits: Human Rights Observers.