An adolescent Afghani migrant waves from a van as he departs with six others from the emergency shelter for minors in Saint Omer, France as they leave for Britain October 18, 2016. Most camp residents hoped to cross the English Channel, lured by the U.K.’s relatively strong economy and a language with which many migrants are at least familiar.
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“The most important thing is that (the evacuation) is carried out smoothly and with respect for migrants and also for those who will welcome these people”, Fabienne Buccio, Pas-de-Calais prefect told France Bleu Nord radio. They may come after them.
She said: “They’ve very much made the effort to arrive at these centres looking as dignifed as possible, when you don’t have much else to cling to, making sure that your shoes are clean and that you’ve had a hair cut from your friends is really important”. “I will go on the bus if they force us”. “There are more than 2,000 policemen there”.
Many don’t know where they will be sent.
Previously, only child refugees who have relatives in Britain had been allowed to enter.
The “Jungle” is home to around 5,700 people, according to official figures.
While many will welcome its closure, the 12,000 #refugees leaving the camp face further uncertainty as they file onto 60 French government buses heading to accommodation centres across #France.
Authorities intend to dismantle the squalid camp that, despite its poor living conditions, has housed thousands of people fleeing wars or poverty for a better life in Europe.
Thousands of people have been living in the camp while they try to travel to the UK. Over 1200 police officers have been engaged to help with the clearance process.
The mass dispersal of refugees and migrants from the Calais Jungle camp to asylum centres across France has begun this morning.
The Jungle migrants are being placed into separate queues to determine who are with family members, travelling alone or whether they are in vulnerable categories.
Following sporadic outbreaks of unrest overnight, the migrants chose instead with calm resignation to be relocated in France while their asylum requests are considered.
Aid workers went from tent to tent, urging migrants to leave the camp before heavy machinery is rolled in to start the demolition.
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“The French and United Kingdom governments have a responsibility to find these children safe shelter before the camp is torn down”, Helen Griffiths, a children’s rights associate with Human Rights Watch, wrote on their website, adding that “children remain at risk of sexual exploitation, violence, and trafficking”. “I want to go to the United Kingdom”, he said.
