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Calais refugee camp: About 1,600 bussed out as clearance operation begins – live Amber Rudd makes Commons statement on Calais camp refugees – live
(35 minutes later)
5.08pm BST
17:08
The home secretary, Amber Rudd, is about to give a statement to the House of Commons about unaccompanied children from the Calais camp coming to the UK.
My colleague Jessica Elgot will be here to tell us what Rudd says – and what she means.
Updated
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4.50pm BST
16:50
Vanessa Redgrave has called on the government to give more money to councils to support refugee children arriving in the UK.
The actor, who was joined by her daughter Joely Richardson, was speaking at an event organised by Citizens UK to welcome the arrival of the first children under the Dubs amendment.
The 79-year-old said that while there was “huge momentum” to support the refugees, money was needed to help local authorities cope.
London councils have announced they will take in more than 100 unaccompanied children under the Dubs amendment.
Redgrave joined about 200 campaigners, many wearing Paddington Bear masks, outside the Home Office in London to celebrate the arrival of the refugees. She said she was “very worried” about those left in Calais, where demolition of the refugee camp began on Monday.
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4.39pm BST4.39pm BST
16:3916:39
Ten girls from Ethiopia and Eritrea who have been brought to the UK under the Dubs amendment have been found homes in Hertfordshire, the Welwyn Hatfield Times reports.Ten girls from Ethiopia and Eritrea who have been brought to the UK under the Dubs amendment have been found homes in Hertfordshire, the Welwyn Hatfield Times reports.
Placements with foster carers across the county were found within a couple of hours of the girls arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning.Placements with foster carers across the county were found within a couple of hours of the girls arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning.
4.05pm BST4.05pm BST
16:0516:05
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has put out a video statement calling on ministers to honour the Dubs amendment.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has put out a video statement calling on ministers to honour the Dubs amendment.
“It must happen - and it must happen now,” he says. “Give those children a place of safety.”“It must happen - and it must happen now,” he says. “Give those children a place of safety.”
I urge the Government to fulfil the Dubs amendment and urgently bring vulnerable children to the UK, as Calais camp is being closed #DubsNow pic.twitter.com/KFBwCoieLxI urge the Government to fulfil the Dubs amendment and urgently bring vulnerable children to the UK, as Calais camp is being closed #DubsNow pic.twitter.com/KFBwCoieLx
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at 4.07pm BSTat 4.07pm BST
3.50pm BST3.50pm BST
15:5015:50
Number of departures reaches 1,600 peopleNumber of departures reaches 1,600 people
About 1,600 people have now left the camp in Calais today on 40 buses, BBC News reporter Simon Jones says.About 1,600 people have now left the camp in Calais today on 40 buses, BBC News reporter Simon Jones says.
That is considerably fewer than the 3,000 people who had been expected to be transported from the camp on Monday.That is considerably fewer than the 3,000 people who had been expected to be transported from the camp on Monday.
Prefecture says 1,600 people have left Calais on 40 buses. Operations appear to be winding down for the day. pic.twitter.com/AtFT5G1hZQPrefecture says 1,600 people have left Calais on 40 buses. Operations appear to be winding down for the day. pic.twitter.com/AtFT5G1hZQ
3.45pm BST3.45pm BST
15:4515:45
It’s not always easy to see the bright side in situations as dire as this, but my colleague Lisa O’Carroll has spotted this gem at the camp.It’s not always easy to see the bright side in situations as dire as this, but my colleague Lisa O’Carroll has spotted this gem at the camp.
Someone with a sense of humor in Calais pic.twitter.com/0acGU9GhDwSomeone with a sense of humor in Calais pic.twitter.com/0acGU9GhDw
3.31pm BST3.31pm BST
15:3115:31
One 16-year-old Eritrean, Daniel, spoke to Associated Press before heading to the registration centre in Calais with his cousin - also an unaccompanied minor.One 16-year-old Eritrean, Daniel, spoke to Associated Press before heading to the registration centre in Calais with his cousin - also an unaccompanied minor.
“I’m not happy because it’s finished, ‘the jungle’. I want to go to the UK,” he says.“I’m not happy because it’s finished, ‘the jungle’. I want to go to the UK,” he says.
In Calais for eight months, Daniel says he has tried daily to jump on trucks heading to Britain, like others in the camp. “I don’t want France,” he insists.In Calais for eight months, Daniel says he has tried daily to jump on trucks heading to Britain, like others in the camp. “I don’t want France,” he insists.
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at 3.43pm BSTat 3.43pm BST
3.12pm BST3.12pm BST
15:1215:12
More from Devon, where dozens of unaccompanied children from Calais have been taken.More from Devon, where dozens of unaccompanied children from Calais have been taken.
Councillor James McInnes, Devon county council’s cabinet member with responsibility for children, described the situation as “very fluid”.Councillor James McInnes, Devon county council’s cabinet member with responsibility for children, described the situation as “very fluid”.
“We are told the turnaround of the children could be 72 hours but we are seeing already a very fluid situation,” he told the BBC. This is definitely a temporary facility that is in the heart of Devon that is been paid for by the Home Office. The county council is taking on its responsibility for the safeguarding of children that are presented in Devon.”“We are told the turnaround of the children could be 72 hours but we are seeing already a very fluid situation,” he told the BBC. This is definitely a temporary facility that is in the heart of Devon that is been paid for by the Home Office. The county council is taking on its responsibility for the safeguarding of children that are presented in Devon.”
Geoffrey Cox QC, MP for Torridge and West Devon, welcomed their arrival:Geoffrey Cox QC, MP for Torridge and West Devon, welcomed their arrival:
“I strongly believe that this country must respond compassionately to the plight of children caught up in the dangerous situation that has been allowed to develop in Calais. It is right that the county council has agreed to help and I have been assured by ministers that the council will receive all the financial and logistical support necessary to ensure that the services they need will be provided to these vulnerable young people while they wait to join their families already in the UK or to take up a permanent placement in the national transfer scheme.”“I strongly believe that this country must respond compassionately to the plight of children caught up in the dangerous situation that has been allowed to develop in Calais. It is right that the county council has agreed to help and I have been assured by ministers that the council will receive all the financial and logistical support necessary to ensure that the services they need will be provided to these vulnerable young people while they wait to join their families already in the UK or to take up a permanent placement in the national transfer scheme.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.15pm BSTat 3.15pm BST
2.51pm BST2.51pm BST
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2.47pm BST2.47pm BST
14:4714:47
Nearly 50 unaccompanied children 'stuck in Calais camp'Nearly 50 unaccompanied children 'stuck in Calais camp'
The charity help refugees have sent an update reporting that 49 children aged under 13 have been forced to remain in the Calais camp for another night after the Home Office was stopped from registering youngsters. Their statement says:The charity help refugees have sent an update reporting that 49 children aged under 13 have been forced to remain in the Calais camp for another night after the Home Office was stopped from registering youngsters. Their statement says:
Our team on the ground have informed us that The Home Office have not been allowed to register children today. As such, the most vulnerable group, the under 13’s (who would qualify under the Alf Dubs amendment) are being forced to remain in the Calais camp itself amidst all the confusion and chaos.Our team on the ground have informed us that The Home Office have not been allowed to register children today. As such, the most vulnerable group, the under 13’s (who would qualify under the Alf Dubs amendment) are being forced to remain in the Calais camp itself amidst all the confusion and chaos.
Our latest census shows there are 49 unaccompanied children in the Calais camp who are 13 years old or under. All are eligible under the Dubs amendment for resettlement in the UK. There are also many unaccompanied girls remaining in camp who are eligible to come to the UK but who were not registered over the weekend.Our latest census shows there are 49 unaccompanied children in the Calais camp who are 13 years old or under. All are eligible under the Dubs amendment for resettlement in the UK. There are also many unaccompanied girls remaining in camp who are eligible to come to the UK but who were not registered over the weekend.
The shipping containers on site in the Calais camp were emptied of residents at 7am this morning, on the understanding that unaccompanied minors would be housed there until they were properly processed (either sent to the UK under Dubs or family reunification, or suitable accommodation was found for them in France).The shipping containers on site in the Calais camp were emptied of residents at 7am this morning, on the understanding that unaccompanied minors would be housed there until they were properly processed (either sent to the UK under Dubs or family reunification, or suitable accommodation was found for them in France).
However, the minors already living in the containers were also asked to vacate this morning. Some of the children are being asked to go to the warehouse for registration to queue up to then be sent back to the containers. Others are being told registration has stopped for the day.However, the minors already living in the containers were also asked to vacate this morning. Some of the children are being asked to go to the warehouse for registration to queue up to then be sent back to the containers. Others are being told registration has stopped for the day.
This chaotic set up is extremely distressing and confusing for the lone minors, the youngest of which is 8 years old (according to our last census). The younger children are struggling to understand where they are supposed to go, and how they are supposed to get there.This chaotic set up is extremely distressing and confusing for the lone minors, the youngest of which is 8 years old (according to our last census). The younger children are struggling to understand where they are supposed to go, and how they are supposed to get there.
Up to a thousand children are expected to be housed in the shipping containers and at present it appears there is nothing in the way of youth workers or social workers to be responsible for, and help calm these young people and children.Up to a thousand children are expected to be housed in the shipping containers and at present it appears there is nothing in the way of youth workers or social workers to be responsible for, and help calm these young people and children.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.47pm BSTat 2.47pm BST
2.41pm BST
14:41
In case you were wondering how long people have been waiting to get into processing centres and on to buses away from Calais, this tweet by Michael Bochenek will enlighten you:
These men from Sudan have been in line since 8am and are now reaching the gate at the warehouse front. #Calais pic.twitter.com/fOGr4Qbqsz
2.31pm BST
14:31
Geoffrey Cox QC, MP for Torridge and West Devon, has welcomed the arrival of the refugees in Devon. The Press Association is carrying his comments:
I strongly believe that this country must respond compassionately to the plight of children caught up in the dangerous situation that has been allowed to develop in Calais.
It is right that the county council has agreed to help and I have been assured by ministers that the council will receive all the financial and logistical support necessary to ensure that the services they need will be provided to these vulnerable young people while they wait to join their families already in the UK or to take up a permanent placement in the National Transfer Scheme.
2.24pm BST
14:24
For many of those facing eviction from the Calais camp today, this will not be the first time they’ve been forcibly moved on. Among them are hundreds of Oromo Ethiopians, who accuse the government in their home country of seizing their land in exchange for paltry compensation, then selling it off to foreign firms.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change, has the story (which I’ve edited slightly for length):
“When we went to demonstrations they killed many people, they arrested many people, they put in jail many people. So we had to escape from the country,” said Solan, a 26-year-old from Addis Ababa.
The former science student left Ethiopia in 2014 after his family was forcibly evicted from the land they had lived on for generations, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Now Solan and hundreds of his fellow Oromo in the Jungle face eviction once again.
Most migrants in the camp have made their way to Calais because they want to reach Britain, and make regular attempts to sneak aboard trucks or trains bound for the UK.
Groups like the Oromo say they have a particular reason for doing so. They are worried France won’t grant them asylum because it doesn’t recognise them as persecuted, based on the experience of others who have been rejected.
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said everyone in the Calais camp would be offered the chance to be transferred to a reception centre where they could apply for asylum. “There will be no blanket decisions for certain nationalities,” spokeswoman Laura Padoan said.
French asylum chief Pascal Brice recently visited the Jungle and offered reassurances to the migrants and refugees, including the Oromo group, said Solan. Brice was not available for comment when the Thomson Reuters Foundation contacted his office on Monday.
“If they accept us we want to stay here (in France),” said Solan, who did not want to give his full name. “We are not searching for a better country, we are here (in Calais) because England accepts Oromo people.”
Solan has been moving back and forth between Calais and a makeshift migrant camp in Paris for the past year, he said. In that time many other Oromo have come and gone from Calais - some as young as 12 or as old as 65. Many lose hope of reaching Britain and instead go to the Netherlands or Germany, he said.
“I am asking for everybody to stay with us, to support us, to save our children, to save our home, to save our story, to save our land,” he said.
2.12pm BST
14:12
Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has pre-empted the Commons statement by the home secretary, Amber Rudd, with his own statement demanding she make clear how many children Britain will take from the camp.
It is unbelievable that the day before demolition is due to take place, our Government still can’t tell us how many children we will take and when they will arrive.
The Home Secretary must clarify this in her statement to Parliament today and take this opportunity to rebuild Britain’s reputation as a compassionate and caring country.
The UK Government has a moral responsibility to ensure that all vulnerable children are either transferred to the UK or moved to places of safety before camp clearance starts.
2.08pm BST
14:08
Youth charities scathing over treatment of children
Lisa O'Carroll
Youth charities working in Calais amid the eviction have been scathing about the failure to safeguard children earlier, Lisa O’Carroll reports. There are an estimated 1,000 in the camp, and reports that just a few hundred were registered and bussed away by lunchtime.
Some voiced concerns that French authorities did not give the unaccompanied children sufficient support with many expected to make the mile long journey from the camp to the processing centre on their own.
Michael McHugh, a volunteer who has worked in the camp for seven months with Refugee Youth Service, stood at the gates of the container camp fielding questions from disoriented teenagers. He said:
There’s has been a very rapid attempt by the French and UK governments to do their homework on the back of the bus. They seem to be moving the kids because of the demolition and fixing the timetable and scale operation around that and not the children.
The question should be ‘when can we demolish the site’ and the answer should be ‘once we have the children cleared’ - not the other way round.
There’s a rush and France has fixed the deadline and everything is slotted round that. I am so worried for these children. They trust us adults here and yet we don’t have the answers. What is going to happen to them.
McHugh, who spoke to the Guardian in between trying to find someone to accompany 13-year-old boy from Eritrea to the processing centre, was sat shivering on a sand ridge when a phone call came through to say there was pushing an shoving in the children’s queue.
He and his colleagues decided it was unsafe to send the boy, who was wearing a badge with a line struck through an icon of a camera to try and stop him being photographed getting on or off buses.
Inside the processing centre there were four queues - adults, families, the vulnerable and disabled, and children. The queue for children seemed least organised, moving slowly with pushing and shoving at points.
Adults, on the other hand, were being processed swiftly, shown a map of French regions and asked where they would like to go. They were registered with one wrist band and then given a second to indicate what region they would go to.
Major Nurzei came through the other end cheering and banging a traditional drum loudly. He was thrilled to be going to Normandy with eight friends from the same town.
Nine men from same village in Afghanistan. Guy with drum had his tongue cut off and fingers broken by Daesh, he said pic.twitter.com/dF0wQb0ySM
Sticking out his tongue he explained Daesh had cut the tip of his tongue and broken his fingers. He was very happy to start a new life. And he was definitely staying in France. “England is finished,” he said. “We don’t want to go to the UK anymore.”
Another of his group said: “UK is no good, too much of a headache. They don’t give us a chance. I like France. The UK take the children but they don’t want the adults, but we can’t go back to our country.”
1.45pm BST
13:45
French officials have been at pains to insist that the eviction operation was proceeding, as interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve put it, “in a calm and orderly manner.”
These pictures show the latest scenes from the queues waiting to enter processing centres.
1.22pm BST
13:22
Calais evictees 'distressed by lack of information'
Carmen Fishwick
Carmen Fishwick has been speaking to charity workers on the ground in Calais. Volunteers working closely with the camp’s registration process warn that a lack of information in the camp is causing psychological distress, as fears over the safety of refugees grows, she writes.
Charity worker Tina Brocklebank, of L’Auberge des Migrants, part of the umbrella organisationHelp Refugees, is working in the registration area. She says that considerable number of people, wary of registering with authorities, have already left the camp.
My friend just got to Paris, but now he is worried he shouldn’t have gone. He knows he can’t come back to Calais now. He will stay with another friend now on the streets under a bridge in Paris. It was an impossible decision for him, people just don’t have enough information
Despite the clear-out beginning in a peaceful fashion, charity workers report that there is mounting confusion and anxiety in camp with refugees uncertain about what is going to happen. Brocklebank added:
I have so many friends calling me for information, asking what is happening. They are asking me if they’re going to detention centres. People fear they won’t be able to leave the accommodation being provided by the authorities. There are a lot of reservations.
1.10pm BST
13:10
Another 20 children, all male, who had come from the camp in Calais arrived in Devon on Monday, the region’s county council said.
A temporary Home Office facility has been set up to help with the number of at-risk youngsters being transferred from the ramshackle site.
Up to 70 young people can be housed in emergency accommodation secured in the area, the council said on Sunday.
1.04pm BST
13:04
Home Secretary Amber Rudd will make a statement on unaccompanied children in Calais in the House of Commons at about 430pm.
There will also be questions in the House of Lords at 230pm. We’ll bring them to you as they happen.
12.53pm BST
12:53
We mentioned earlier that the transfer of Calais children to Britain has been “temporarily paused” at the request of French authorities due to the camp clearance.
The charity Safe Passage UK tweets:
We are taking our children to another entrance to avoid this #Calais pic.twitter.com/JRFLgd4lRY