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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/britons-do-no-drive-to-calais-convoy-disruption-calaid
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| Aid group urges Britons not to drive to Calais after convoy situation | Aid group urges Britons not to drive to Calais after convoy situation |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| One volunteer organisation working with migrants stranded in Calais is urging Britons not to drive to the French port after reports of a disruption following the spontaneous arrival of a convoy of aid. | One volunteer organisation working with migrants stranded in Calais is urging Britons not to drive to the French port after reports of a disruption following the spontaneous arrival of a convoy of aid. |
| Hundreds of aid initiatives have sprung up across Europe in the past 48 hours in response to the deepening refugee crisis and the shocking images of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi’s body on a Turkish beach. | Hundreds of aid initiatives have sprung up across Europe in the past 48 hours in response to the deepening refugee crisis and the shocking images of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi’s body on a Turkish beach. |
| But after a convoy of Belgian volunteers sparked a disruption on Friday, James Fisher, the organiser of grassroots campaign Cal Aid, said it was vital that people donated through a centralised distribution system. | |
| “We are struggling to cope, not with British aid, but Belgian aid,” he said from Calais, describing the arrival of 35 people with donations causing a rush of people to the vans as they turned up. | “We are struggling to cope, not with British aid, but Belgian aid,” he said from Calais, describing the arrival of 35 people with donations causing a rush of people to the vans as they turned up. |
| “The police had to come down and they are now saying they won’t let anyone in without the correct papers,” said Fisher. | “The police had to come down and they are now saying they won’t let anyone in without the correct papers,” said Fisher. |
| He said material donations were needed, but that they had to be given in a “respectful manner” that does not dehumanise the people in the camp. | He said material donations were needed, but that they had to be given in a “respectful manner” that does not dehumanise the people in the camp. |
| Fisher added: “We do need stuff, but we need it for November and later. So people shouldn’t turn up at the camp now because it will just be left lying there on the street. It needs to be rationed out properly.” | Fisher added: “We do need stuff, but we need it for November and later. So people shouldn’t turn up at the camp now because it will just be left lying there on the street. It needs to be rationed out properly.” |
| A photographer and film-maker, Fisher is one of nine volunteers running the calaid.co.uk website and its Facebook page for the past two months. | A photographer and film-maker, Fisher is one of nine volunteers running the calaid.co.uk website and its Facebook page for the past two months. |
| He said distribution of donations up to now had been smooth, but he added that it is imperative that everything is distributed in controlled conditions to maintain the dignity of the approximately 3,000 people in the camp. | He said distribution of donations up to now had been smooth, but he added that it is imperative that everything is distributed in controlled conditions to maintain the dignity of the approximately 3,000 people in the camp. |
| He is organising monthly collections of items which will then be stored in Calais warehouses and distributed as needed. “We would like [people] instead of driving to Calais to donate to us instead and we will distribute it,” said Fisher. | He is organising monthly collections of items which will then be stored in Calais warehouses and distributed as needed. “We would like [people] instead of driving to Calais to donate to us instead and we will distribute it,” said Fisher. |
| The group recently got access to a 700 sq m warehouse in France and will use this to stockpile donations. | The group recently got access to a 700 sq m warehouse in France and will use this to stockpile donations. |
| The harrowing pictures of Aylan and his five-year-brother Ghalib, who also died in an attempt to get from Turkey to Kos, has prompted a surge in donations to Calaid. | The harrowing pictures of Aylan and his five-year-brother Ghalib, who also died in an attempt to get from Turkey to Kos, has prompted a surge in donations to Calaid. |
| “One of the donors on our JustGiving page said he was giving everything he had. That was £4.65. That meant so much more than the donations of £100s,” said Fisher. | “One of the donors on our JustGiving page said he was giving everything he had. That was £4.65. That meant so much more than the donations of £100s,” said Fisher. |