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.
-
Friends Of Prince William 'aghast' As King Charles Offers Olive Branch To Harry, Meghan Markle -
What Cancer Does Colleen Hoover Have? -
Zayn Malik Drops Special Surprise For Fans On His 33rd Birthday -
Nicola Peltz Sends Harsh Message To Beckhams With Brooklyn Comments -
Apple Martin 'lashes' Out At Mom Gwyneth Paltrow For Pushing Her 'too Hard' -
Meghan Markle Going To 'humiliate' Prince Harry With UK Trip -
Pastor Jailed After Secretly Filming Woman In Store -
Julio Iglesias Faces Serious Abuse Accusation -
Buckingham Palace’s ‘liability’ Prince Harry Comes Under Fire: ‘Can Really Harm King Charles’ -
Emily Bader Reveals Inspiration Behind Choosing Latest Project -
Anthropic Rolls Out Claude Cowork For Non-coders -
'Tell Me Lies' Creator Meaghan Oppenheimer Breaks Silence On Season 3 Rumor -
Prince Harry's Friend Rubs Shoulders With Mike Tindall And Zara -
Google Rolls Out First Android Update Of 2026 To Pixel Phones -
Matt Damon Reveals Wife Luciana Barroso Found Ben Affleck THIS In 'Good Will Hunting' -
Aurora Alert: Northern Lights Visible Tonight At High Latitudes