Refugees speak of violence and abuse in Calais
One of our friends messaged us today to say that police had cordoned off the area where him and others slept, vandalised their tents, took all their belongings and bussed them beyond Toulouse. When he was finally dropped off, he discovered he was five hours away from the nearest train station – so he walked the entire way there.
He rode several trains throughout the day, getting kicked out of many along the way. When the night fell he stopped somewhere to rest, completely exhausted. He slept on the street.
Our friend returned to Calais the next morning to find police assaulting those who had also managed to come back. Officials kicked him out of the area where he used to stay and he is now back on the streets. He has no idea what to do or where to go.
I wish I could say this is a one-off, but we have heard this from so many people over the last couple of days. Hundreds of refugees were bussed to different parts of France on Tuesday, and then another mass eviction took place on Thursday. Separate smaller evictions are also taking place regularly at other sites.
To make matters worse the French Government cut back on their food distribution support and extended the food ban in the city. Yesterday we spoke to refugees who hadn’t eaten for over 24 hours as a result.
We have been distributing as many food packs as possible, but with so many repeated mass evictions it is more challenging than ever to provide enough support. To help us feed everyone in need please contribute at care4calais.org/donate
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