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Calais crisis: UK and France slammed by UN envoy for failing to understand the desperate plight of refugees Calais crisis: UK and France slammed by UN envoy for failing to understand the desperate plight of refugees
(2 days later)
Conditions in the migrant camps in Calais are “a living reproach to European society” and to the UK’s refusal to take its fair share of refugees, the UN Special Representative on International Migration has said.Conditions in the migrant camps in Calais are “a living reproach to European society” and to the UK’s refusal to take its fair share of refugees, the UN Special Representative on International Migration has said.
Peter Sutherland castigated the governments of the UK, France and several Central and East European states for their seeming failure to understand the desperate plight of refugees fleeing war zones.Peter Sutherland castigated the governments of the UK, France and several Central and East European states for their seeming failure to understand the desperate plight of refugees fleeing war zones.
A visit to the camps in Calais had left him wondering if the squalor he saw there was a deliberate ploy to discourage others from trying to find refuge in the UK.A visit to the camps in Calais had left him wondering if the squalor he saw there was a deliberate ploy to discourage others from trying to find refuge in the UK.
Speaking at a conference on boat migrants at University College Dublin, Mr Sutherland said: “The conditions in which the migrants were living were truly shocking. Doctors there told me of clear evidence of TB and scabies.Speaking at a conference on boat migrants at University College Dublin, Mr Sutherland said: “The conditions in which the migrants were living were truly shocking. Doctors there told me of clear evidence of TB and scabies.
“This is a disgrace. It is also a clear example of the broader inadequacies in Europe’s practical expression of its much-vaunted values.“This is a disgrace. It is also a clear example of the broader inadequacies in Europe’s practical expression of its much-vaunted values.
“These poor people, determined to reach Britain, and having already endured dreadful hardships to get to Calais, are stuck. The site is a living reproach to European society – a desperate place populated by desperate people.”“These poor people, determined to reach Britain, and having already endured dreadful hardships to get to Calais, are stuck. The site is a living reproach to European society – a desperate place populated by desperate people.”
Mr Sutherland added: “The numbers in the camp are only about 3,000 and could be easily handled. Are they being kept in squalor to put off others? Is improving their condition seen as a potential ‘pull factor?’Mr Sutherland added: “The numbers in the camp are only about 3,000 and could be easily handled. Are they being kept in squalor to put off others? Is improving their condition seen as a potential ‘pull factor?’
“This logic is almost as obscene as the suggestion that saving lives in the Mediterranean might tempt others to come. The reality is that the issues surrounding the mobility of mankind in an era of global communications of all kinds require far more than the pandering to the xenophobia and racism increasingly evident in parts of the developed world.”“This logic is almost as obscene as the suggestion that saving lives in the Mediterranean might tempt others to come. The reality is that the issues surrounding the mobility of mankind in an era of global communications of all kinds require far more than the pandering to the xenophobia and racism increasingly evident in parts of the developed world.”
On 9 October, the Mid Kent MP Helen Whately, one of three MPs who travelled to Calais to take aid donations to inhabitants, said conditions there were “bad and getting worse”.On 9 October, the Mid Kent MP Helen Whately, one of three MPs who travelled to Calais to take aid donations to inhabitants, said conditions there were “bad and getting worse”.
David Cameron has promised that the UK will take 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, but will only take those who are in camps in the Middle East. David Cameron has promised that the UK will take 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, but will only take those who are in camps in the Middle East. 
Employees of the MyFerrylink company stage a protest by blocking the A16 highway with a tyre fire in Calais
The power struggle between the employees of SeaFrance, owner of the ferry company MyFerrylink, and the owners of the their ships, Eurotunnel, continued with the 2-hour block to the access tunnels under the English Channel by the employees
An employee of the MyFerrylink company walks next to the burning tyres
Ferry workers block carriageways at the Channel Tunnel junction
Employees of the MyFerrylink protest by blocking access to the tunnels under the English Channel
Participants of the protest set fire to the tyres
Lorries and cars queue on A16 motorway close to the Channel Tunnel terminal access in Calais
The Calais ferry workers' dispute had fallen silent during round-table talks between the French government, Eurotunnel and a small local seamen’s union and workers' cooperative
The Prime Minister claims that accepting refugees who have found their way across Europe would encourage others to attempt the journey, and that Britain would be “overwhelmed” if every refugee who wanted to come here was accepted.The Prime Minister claims that accepting refugees who have found their way across Europe would encourage others to attempt the journey, and that Britain would be “overwhelmed” if every refugee who wanted to come here was accepted.
Germany has agreed to absorb 800,000 refugees. There are currently 1.7 million in Turkey and a similar number in Lebanon, while Greece and Italy have born the brunt of refugees seeking to escape by crossing the Mediterranean.Germany has agreed to absorb 800,000 refugees. There are currently 1.7 million in Turkey and a similar number in Lebanon, while Greece and Italy have born the brunt of refugees seeking to escape by crossing the Mediterranean.