CALAIS, FRANCE-French authorities declared the Calais migrant camp known as “the jungle”, empty on Wednesday, after fires set by departing migrants accelerated plans to evacuate people from the burgeoning slum. Riot police were massed outside the main entrance to the camp near the port of Calais, barring migrants who had fled the blazes from going back in to retrieve their belongings. “Today is the end of the Jungle”. “As we speak, we have already processed more than 5,000 people at the SAS registration centre”, Buccio told reporters.
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Yesterday, its volunteers delivered more than one hundred sleeping bags for children who were still in the camp.
According to the Francetvinfo news portal, the morning was calm at the camp, but the number of departure fires broke out shortly before noon, releasing thick black smoke.
Britain, however, bars majority on the basis of European Union rules requiring them to seek asylum in the first EU states they set foot in. The fires were blamed on disgruntled camp residents.
There has been some resistance to the clearance by activists opposed to the measures and migrants reluctant to leave resulting to some violent clashes with police.
However, Buccio insisted that the residents all came to the transit centre willingly. “We are on standby, the fire brigade is in the vicinity to guarantee security and to prevent the fire from spreading”.
French authorities previously said they would not use force to have migrants register themselves.
Police said Wednesday that they found the group of 7 Iraqis, 4 Turks and a Syrian walking close to the border with Hungary in southwest Romania late Tuesday.
Meanwhile, workers in orange overalls ramped up demolition operations, tearing down tents and makeshift shelters at the lawless camp that has become a symbol of Europe’s migrant crisis.
“This jungle is no good”. Protesters took to the Millennium Bridge, near St Paul’s Cathedral, carrying placards and large red hearts, urging the immediate resettlement of more children from the camp.
Officially about 7,000 migrants live in the camp.
One Ethiopian, who gave only his first name, Binal, because he feared being expelled, refused to board a bus on Wednesday, saying he wanted to try to get to England.
Inside Story – What comes after “The Jungle”?
He told CNN his name – Hashoq – but couldn’t say how it was spelled.
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Dorothy Sang, working on the ground for Save the Children, told the Press Association: “It is unacceptable that the demolition has just started while those children haven’t been put to a safe place or accounted for. It doesn’t matter if I go to jail here”.
