- Two migrant camps had been dismantled in Calais before the visit of Gérald Darmanin, the new Minister of the Interior.
- More than 500 people had been evacuated to centers far from the city.
- Five associations ensure that most have returned and find themselves without water or food.
Timely evacuation. On July 12, Gérald Darmanin went to Calais wearing his brand new hat as Minister of the Interior. A trip on the theme of the migration issue that all his predecessors made before him. Two days before, the state services had cleared their way, evacuating hundreds of migrants to centers far from Calais. Since then, those who remain and those who have returned find themselves in an even more precarious situation denounce several associations.
During this compulsory visit to Calais, Gérald Darmanin signed an agreement with his British counterpart for the creation of an intelligence unit to fight against smuggling networks. Two days before, on July 10, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture organized the evacuation of two migrant camps located in the industrial zone of the Dunes, known to have sheltered the “jungle”.
"You will only have seen what we have been kind enough to show you"
According to state services, around 500 tents were destroyed and “519 isolated people spread over 16 buses were taken care of and transported to centers located in the Hauts-de-France region and other French regions. A decision which falls quite opportunely and which questions the associations Amnesty international, Doctors of the world, Doctors without borders, Cimade and the Catholic help.
"Like all your predecessors, you will only have seen what they wanted to show you or what you wanted to see", the associations wrote in a joint letter to Gerald Darmanin. However, this is not what they denounce, but rather the consequences. According to them, most of the evacuees were back the next day, finding themselves even more destitute: “In addition to the destruction of shelters and the expulsion of people, this evacuation resulted in the shutdown of the main food distribution and the shower system. “, Assert the associations. They add that, if the water taps have remained in place, they remain “inaccessible, due to the police presence. "
Multiplying attempts to cross the Channel
The signatories of the letter also deplore that the "sheltering" of these 519 migrants was made "without any assessment of their situation and their vulnerability. "What the prefecture defends itself, affirming that" new marauding has been carried out on the site and made it possible to offer the migrant population shelter in various reception and accommodation centers. "
Still, today, the situation has hardly changed. According to the Secours Catholique, the occupants of the dismantled camps, whose population is estimated between 800 and 1,000 people, have moved to other sites. We have also noticed, for several weeks, an increase in the number of attempts to cross the Channel on board makeshift boats. The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (PREMAR) has counted almost one rescue operation per day since the beginning of July and more than 130 people recovered at sea.
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- Gerald Darmanin
- Calais
- Migrants
- Society