Migrants clash with police in Calais
LILLE, France:French police clashed with stone-throwing migrants near the northern French port of Calais on Thursday, leading the local mayor to call for their camp to be "immediately dismantled". Police were trying to carry out security checks at the camp in Teteghem, near Calais, which they say is controlled by
By our correspondents
October 30, 2015
LILLE, France:French police clashed with stone-throwing migrants near the northern French port of Calais on Thursday, leading the local mayor to call for their camp to be "immediately dismantled".
Police were trying to carry out security checks at the camp in Teteghem, near Calais, which they say is controlled by people smugglers.
Teteghem mayor Franck Dhersin described the camp as a "lawless zone".
"I am asking for the immediate dismantling of the camp, if necessary by force," he told AFP. "The camp has always been in the hands of smugglers. It’s a mafia that functions like a drug gang." He said the smugglers that have been arrested in the region were only "small fish", and blamed the British government for failing to target their bosses whom he said were based in Britain.
Nearly 250 people currently live in the Teteghem camp -- mostly Syrians, but also Iraqis, Iranians and a small number of Vietnamese.
It is thought to house better-funded migrants, who can afford to pay thousands of euros to be smuggled in vehicles across the Channel to Britain.
Some 6,000 poorer migrants are gathered a few kilometres away at the "New Jungle" camp in Calais, hoping to find their own ways of sneaking into the Channel Tunnel or aboard ships.
Although the camp has excited huge interest in France and Britain, the numbers are tiny compared to other countries, notably Germany which is expected to receive up to a million people this year.
Police were trying to carry out security checks at the camp in Teteghem, near Calais, which they say is controlled by people smugglers.
Teteghem mayor Franck Dhersin described the camp as a "lawless zone".
"I am asking for the immediate dismantling of the camp, if necessary by force," he told AFP. "The camp has always been in the hands of smugglers. It’s a mafia that functions like a drug gang." He said the smugglers that have been arrested in the region were only "small fish", and blamed the British government for failing to target their bosses whom he said were based in Britain.
Nearly 250 people currently live in the Teteghem camp -- mostly Syrians, but also Iraqis, Iranians and a small number of Vietnamese.
It is thought to house better-funded migrants, who can afford to pay thousands of euros to be smuggled in vehicles across the Channel to Britain.
Some 6,000 poorer migrants are gathered a few kilometres away at the "New Jungle" camp in Calais, hoping to find their own ways of sneaking into the Channel Tunnel or aboard ships.
Although the camp has excited huge interest in France and Britain, the numbers are tiny compared to other countries, notably Germany which is expected to receive up to a million people this year.
-
Pete Davidson’s Girlfriend Elsie Hewitt Says 'everything Hurts' After Sudden Medical Emergency -
Princess Beatrice 17 Holidays Per Year Exposed Amid Andrew Arrest -
Who Is 'Queen Of Woke'? UK First Female Civil Head -
Dwayne Johnson Confesses What Secretly Scares Him More Than Fame -
Elizabeth Hurley's Son Damian Breaks Silence On Mom’s Romance With Billy Ray Cyrus -
Shamed Andrew Should Be Happy ‘he Is Only In For Sharing Information’ -
Daniel Radcliffe Wants Son To See Him As Just Dad, Not Harry Potter -
Apple Sued Over 'child Sexual Abuse' Material Stored Or Shared On ICloud -
Nancy Guthrie Kidnapped With 'blessings' Of Drug Cartels -
Hailey Bieber Reveals Justin Bieber's Hit Song Baby Jack Is Already Singing -
Emily Ratajkowski Appears To Confirm Romance With Dua Lipa's Ex Romain Gavras -
Leighton Meester Breaks Silence On Viral Ariana Grande Interaction On Critics Choice Awards -
Heavy Snowfall Disrupts Operations At Germany's Largest Airport -
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor Released Hours After Police Arrest -
Heidi Klum Eyes Spooky Season Anthem With Diplo After Being Dubbed 'Queen Of Halloween' -
King Charles Is In ‘unchartered Waters’ As Andrew Takes Family Down