Calais: Gimme Shelter

Via Schnews and Calais Migrant Solidarity  - It's been a harsh winter in Calais so far with police arresting over 100 migrants, destroying camps and raiding squats countless times in the last month. In the freezing wet conditions of a French January, police have been slashing tarpaulins, seizing blankets and closed the one night shelter that had briefly opened to offer 150 of the estimated 300 Calais migrants respite from the weather and constant police harassment.

Following the closure of the shelter last Tuesday (19th) around 100 migrants camped out around the site in protest. Within half an hour police arrived, and on being threatened with the destruction of their makeshift camp, the migrants scattered, closely pursued by officers. Some were advised by the police to return to the site of one of the former camps in the now demolished 'jungle' and they set up shelters, having been promised they would not be attacked. What followed was 24 hours of search and destroy, with police smashing up anything that resembled a hideout, both at this promised 'safe' site, and wherever else they found signs of migrant dwellings.  With over 2,000 migrants now living along the coast of France and the price for a smuggled passage into the U.K. having doubled since the destruction of the jungles, support and people are desperately needed.

Comments

[John H]

Your article is a personal statement with political undertones and it shocks me to see it in I V Y paris.

The I V Y paris newsletter is not the place to express this or any other such view as this deviates totally from the purpose of I V Y paris as declared in the “LE CONCEPT DE I V Y paris” section which is…..”to is be a hub for visual arts information and resources in Paris.”

The question of illegal immigration in France is one of enforcing the law of the land and to fight international people trafficking.

Not everybody in the community of artists or art-curious Parisians who enjoy I V Y paris share your “pensée unique” opinion.

I ask you kindly for future issues of the otherwise excellent I V Y paris newsletter to please stay on track with information on the Paris arts scene.

Thanks,
John

[The Editor]

Thanks John, The VINGT Paris newsletter is not only focussed on the arts scene and information for working artists (see professional artists) but art, design, fashion, film, gastronomy, literature, music, politcs, sex, technology, green/eco issues and anything at all we feel like.

[VINGT paris]

sure see you then