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Concern grows for 'left-behind' child refugees as fires hit Calais camp Hundreds of children 'left behind' as Calais clearance turns chaotic
(about 2 hours later)
The operation to clear residents from the sprawling makeshift refugee camp at Calais has finished ahead of schedule, French authorities have said, though charities raised concerns for the welfare of children who remain in the area. Hundreds of unaccompanied children remain unaccounted for in an increasingly chaotic situation at the Calais refugee camp, where French authorities tried to declare that it would be completely cleared at the end of the day.
“There are no more migrants in the camp. Our mission has been fulfilled,” said Fabienne Buccio, a local official, on Wednesday. Charities working at the site estimated that 300-400 children remained there without adequate safeguards, and called for the dismantling of the site to be halted amid growing concern for their welfare.
Government buses taking refugees and migrants to relocation centres across France will stop at the end of the day, and demolition of the camp will be speeded up on Thursday, with larger machinery moving in, officials said. Save the Children said it was “extremely concerned” about children who had not been registered as parts of the camp went up in flames. About 100 were still in the queue when the registration centres were “swiftly” closed, the charity said.
Tents and shelters were set ablaze as people continued to queue for official registration to be resettled at the accommodation centres where many refugees hope to be able to claim asylum.
So far, more than 5,000 people who had come to Calais hoping to reach the UK have been bussed out of the camp.
Save the Children said it was “extremely concerned” about children who had not been registered as parts of the camp went up in flames. About 100 children were still in the queue when the registration centres were “swiftly” closed, the charity said.
Converted shipping containers set up near the camp to house children were full, and “hundreds” of youngsters remained outside with nowhere to go, the charity added.Converted shipping containers set up near the camp to house children were full, and “hundreds” of youngsters remained outside with nowhere to go, the charity added.
Help Refugees said it had reports of up to 300 unaccompanied minors being turned away from the registration centres and sent back to the camp while fires were still smouldering. In a Facebook post, it also said volunteers were trying to find places for them to stay.Help Refugees said it had reports of up to 300 unaccompanied minors being turned away from the registration centres and sent back to the camp while fires were still smouldering. In a Facebook post, it also said volunteers were trying to find places for them to stay.
Some of Help Refugees’ representatives said they could not stop some children running into the camp to collect their belonging as fires swept through. Josie Naughton, the charity’s co-founder, described the situation as a “humanitarian emergency”. Some of Help Refugees’ representatives said they could not stop children running into the camp to collect their belongings despite the fires. Josie Naughton, the charity’s co-founder, described the situation as a “humanitarian emergency”.
Charities have called on the local authorities to provide emergency shelter in a community hall or other appropriate building after attempts to persuade hotels to take minors in had failed. Doctors without Borders said they were very concerned about the children. “Everything has been destroyed, so we are very worried about the unaccompanied minors. We’ve been told the container camp is full, we’ve also had reports of children who’ve lost their wristbands giving them entry or those who’ve had them ripped off them in the struggle to get access. Where they will sleep tonight is a massive concern,” said a spokeswoman for the charity.
Riot police and fire crews moved quickly to extinguish flames as those departing set tents and shelters ablaze, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The fires were blamed on disgruntled camp residents. The relief organisation said it had got the impression that French authorities had “washed their hands of the site” and expressed concerns about what would happen if the police returned to move people on.
Pascal Brice, head of the Office for Refugees and Stateless People, told the Press Association: “The operation will be over tonight because all the people who were leaving the ‘Jungle’ are now welcomed in France, in good conditions in accommodation centres. Charities have called on the local authorities to provide emergency shelter after attempts to persuade hotels to take in minors had failed.
Politicians in Britain said they were worried about the reports and called on the French authorities to act. Yvette Cooper, chair of Labour’s refugee taskforce, said she was “deeply concerned” children were being turned away from the container camps meant to keep them safe.
She said: “There is nowhere else for them to go and at a time when parts of the camp are ablaze this is clearly a perilous situation. The French authorities need to urgently act. They need to immediately open up emergency accommodation such as the Jules Ferry centre in the camp to ensure that all lone children have a safe space to go to.”
French authorities earlier indicated the camp clearance operation would be over on Wednesday night. Pascal Brice, head of the Office for Refugees and Stateless People, told PA: “The operation will be over tonight because all the people who were leaving the ‘Jungle’ are now welcomed in France, in good conditions in accommodation centres.
“It is a matter of satisfaction for the French administration because all those people now are in centres all around France and the [camp] is over.”“It is a matter of satisfaction for the French administration because all those people now are in centres all around France and the [camp] is over.”
As French authorities indicated everyone in the camp had been registered, people could still be seen walking with their belongings towards the registration centre. Government buses taking refugees and migrants to relocation centres across France will stop at the end of the day, and demolition will be speeded up on Thursday, with larger machinery moving in, officials added.
There were four arrests, the Calais police commissioner, Patrick Visser-Bourdon, said. In total, the French authorities said they had relocated 4,404 migrants and registered 1,200 children, who were either transferred to the UK or sent to the container site. They added that 233 children had been received by the UK since 17 October.
Some of the people leaving the camp set tents and shelters ablaze, but riot police and fire crews moved quickly to extinguish flames. The fires were blamed on disgruntled camp residents – four migrants were arrested in relation to the fires.
One young Sudanese male, who said he was 15 and a half, said he had lost his tent in the flames. “Tonight I will sleep here on the road, there will be many more,” he added.
The fires, which ravaged large parts of the camp, started in various areas but soon spread through the tents caravans, makeshift homes and shops. Gas canisters for cooking stoves exploded, sending burning shrapnel through the air and starting new fires. Refugees scrambled through the streets with the bags they had prepared for a more organised departure. Many of those who had not packed lost everything.
After about two hours, police allowed people back into the camp, despite the fact that some fires were still burning. Those remaining in the area tonight will sleep in surviving tents, surrounded by ashes, or outside the camp altogether.
Hamid, 30, from Afghanistan, who said he had been among those setting fire to shelters, told Reuters: “We don’t care about problems that are to come after this. We did it because we don’t want to stay in France. We want to go to England and England only. It doesn’t matter if I go to jail here.”Hamid, 30, from Afghanistan, who said he had been among those setting fire to shelters, told Reuters: “We don’t care about problems that are to come after this. We did it because we don’t want to stay in France. We want to go to England and England only. It doesn’t matter if I go to jail here.”
In London, about 100 demonstrators, including the model Lily Cole, called on Britain to help more children caught up in the camp’s demolition. Protesters took to the Millennium Bridge, near St Paul’s Cathedral, carrying placards and large red hearts, urging the immediate resettlement of more children from the camp.In London, about 100 demonstrators, including the model Lily Cole, called on Britain to help more children caught up in the camp’s demolition. Protesters took to the Millennium Bridge, near St Paul’s Cathedral, carrying placards and large red hearts, urging the immediate resettlement of more children from the camp.