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| Calais camp scuffles break out as 2,000 refugees prepare to leave | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Up to 2,000 people were expected to leave the Calais refugee camp on Tuesday, as isolated scuffles broke out on the second day of an attempt by the French government to clear the site. | Up to 2,000 people were expected to leave the Calais refugee camp on Tuesday, as isolated scuffles broke out on the second day of an attempt by the French government to clear the site. |
| On Monday night the UK Home Office and French officials held talks to resolve the occasionally chaotic scenes at the hangar where people queue for registration and onward transport to centres throughout France. | On Monday night the UK Home Office and French officials held talks to resolve the occasionally chaotic scenes at the hangar where people queue for registration and onward transport to centres throughout France. |
| The French government expected to start dismantling structures in the camp at about noon. | The French government expected to start dismantling structures in the camp at about noon. |
| A Home Office official in Calais said on Monday hundreds of adults had squeezed to the front of the hangar. “So we asked them to change it to this,” he said, pointing to an orderly single-file queue. | A Home Office official in Calais said on Monday hundreds of adults had squeezed to the front of the hangar. “So we asked them to change it to this,” he said, pointing to an orderly single-file queue. |
| On Tuesday morning, police initially appeared to struggle as hundreds of children penned into a small area outside a processing centre became impatient and anxious to get to the front of the queue. Volunteers arrived speaking Pashto to the mainly Afghan boys and young men at the front. | On Tuesday morning, police initially appeared to struggle as hundreds of children penned into a small area outside a processing centre became impatient and anxious to get to the front of the queue. Volunteers arrived speaking Pashto to the mainly Afghan boys and young men at the front. |
| Dawn with the CRS and Calais kids pic.twitter.com/8wbTL9RJiq | Dawn with the CRS and Calais kids pic.twitter.com/8wbTL9RJiq |
| Police formed a line and pushed the press back, before moving the children back. Calm was restored after the small area allocated to children was widened. | Police formed a line and pushed the press back, before moving the children back. Calm was restored after the small area allocated to children was widened. |
| A Home Office official in Calais conceded that the processing of children to decide who should come to Britain was chaotic on Monday. “We had a meeting last night and the system has changed this morning. The children are being prioritised,” he said. | A Home Office official in Calais conceded that the processing of children to decide who should come to Britain was chaotic on Monday. “We had a meeting last night and the system has changed this morning. The children are being prioritised,” he said. |
| Asked if the demolition should be delayed until the last child had been documented and put in safe accommodation he said: “I don’t know. You will have to ask the politicians.” | Asked if the demolition should be delayed until the last child had been documented and put in safe accommodation he said: “I don’t know. You will have to ask the politicians.” |
| Sudanese people in the camp have accused the authorities of prioritising children from other countries over children from Sudan. A man acting as a representative of Sudanese children pulled them from the kettle area and asked them to form an orderly queue. | Sudanese people in the camp have accused the authorities of prioritising children from other countries over children from Sudan. A man acting as a representative of Sudanese children pulled them from the kettle area and asked them to form an orderly queue. |
| As the queue of about 150 formed, Mussa Mahdy explained: “The Sudanese form 45% of the camp. We are the majority and we are not being processed. Yesterday we had a meeting with the prefecture and he said maybe 2pm,” he said. | As the queue of about 150 formed, Mussa Mahdy explained: “The Sudanese form 45% of the camp. We are the majority and we are not being processed. Yesterday we had a meeting with the prefecture and he said maybe 2pm,” he said. |
| The Sudan minors rep says they are being discriminated against in Calais, that the processors are doing Afghani and Eritreans first. pic.twitter.com/ERgYmI6vlB | The Sudan minors rep says they are being discriminated against in Calais, that the processors are doing Afghani and Eritreans first. pic.twitter.com/ERgYmI6vlB |
| Most of the underage Sudanese want to go to Britain under the Dublin regulation or the Dubs amendment. | Most of the underage Sudanese want to go to Britain under the Dublin regulation or the Dubs amendment. |
| One of the boys in the queue has a brother in the UK. Mohamed Ahmed told the Guardian: “I have done everything from this side with the Home Office and I have spoken to the Red Cross and still I have not heard.” | One of the boys in the queue has a brother in the UK. Mohamed Ahmed told the Guardian: “I have done everything from this side with the Home Office and I have spoken to the Red Cross and still I have not heard.” |
| Mahdy said in the past two weeks only one Sudanese child had “got a bracelet” for travel. | Mahdy said in the past two weeks only one Sudanese child had “got a bracelet” for travel. |
| Mahdy was assured by a man from Caritas that the Sudanese children would be seen at 2pm, while a French official arrived on the scene to reiterate this. “You will be registered,” said local official Vincent Berton, before requesting the press stop filming. | Mahdy was assured by a man from Caritas that the Sudanese children would be seen at 2pm, while a French official arrived on the scene to reiterate this. “You will be registered,” said local official Vincent Berton, before requesting the press stop filming. |
| By 11am there was slow a trickle of adult migrants, but hundreds of under-18s still sat in the sun waiting their turn. | By 11am there was slow a trickle of adult migrants, but hundreds of under-18s still sat in the sun waiting their turn. |
| Almost 2,000 refugees and migrants from the camp passed through official registration on Monday. An estimated 8,000 remain to be processed, the French interior ministry said. | Almost 2,000 refugees and migrants from the camp passed through official registration on Monday. An estimated 8,000 remain to be processed, the French interior ministry said. |
| Nearly 200 under-18s have arrived in the UK in recent days and hundreds more are expected, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, told parliament on Monday. However, one-quarter of English councils have refused to take part in resettling refugees. | Nearly 200 under-18s have arrived in the UK in recent days and hundreds more are expected, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, told parliament on Monday. However, one-quarter of English councils have refused to take part in resettling refugees. |
| The French government is “determined to stop people coming back to Calais,” the French ambassador to London, Sylvie Bermann, told Radio 4’s Today programme. | The French government is “determined to stop people coming back to Calais,” the French ambassador to London, Sylvie Bermann, told Radio 4’s Today programme. |
| “We won’t let them come,” she said. “It has to be clear that Calais is a blind alley and you can’t come to this country.” | “We won’t let them come,” she said. “It has to be clear that Calais is a blind alley and you can’t come to this country.” |
| Refugees who turn up at the former site in the hope of reaching Britain will be transported to other parts of France and “convinced to claim asylum”, she said. | Refugees who turn up at the former site in the hope of reaching Britain will be transported to other parts of France and “convinced to claim asylum”, she said. |
| Authorities hope that demolition crews can move in later on Tuesday to start tearing down the camp, one of the biggest in Europe, where thousands of people have been living in dire conditions. The operation is set to continue until Wednesday. | Authorities hope that demolition crews can move in later on Tuesday to start tearing down the camp, one of the biggest in Europe, where thousands of people have been living in dire conditions. The operation is set to continue until Wednesday. |
| Christian Salome, head of the charity Auberge des Migrants, told Agence France-Presse that the process was “working well because these are people who were waiting impatiently to leave”. | Christian Salome, head of the charity Auberge des Migrants, told Agence France-Presse that the process was “working well because these are people who were waiting impatiently to leave”. |
| “I’m much more concerned about later in the week, when the only ones remaining are those who do not want to leave, who still want to reach England,” he said, estimating their number at about 2,000. | “I’m much more concerned about later in the week, when the only ones remaining are those who do not want to leave, who still want to reach England,” he said, estimating their number at about 2,000. |