"It was at the beginning of 2015, in the wake of the migrant crisis, that the Jungle' of Calais took shape, covering an area of about ten hectares. The zone became a focal point of the refugee debate.
In the summer of 2013, fewer than 500 migrants had sought refuge in the port area of this town of 75,000 inhabitants, hoping to reach England.
By the end of 2014, the number had risen to just over 2,000, mostly single men from Africa, Syria, and Afghanistan. In response to this influx, which was causing growing unease among the local population, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture decided to open a day reception center on January 15, 2015, offering free meal distribution.
The center was the former Jules-Ferry summer camp, located about an hour’s walk east of the town center, near the dunes. At the time, migrants often got lost trying to find the center.
They then began to settle near the Jules-Ferry center, in what they called the 'Jungle,' tolerated by the authorities.
NGOs denounced it as a 'roofless Sangatte,' and two 'micro-jungles' in the city center were also cleared, forcing migrants to move to the 'Lande camp,' the official term.
In early June, initial clashes break out between communities, involving between 200 and 300 people, in what has become a makeshift 'city,' where churches, mosques, grocery stores, and restaurants are established.
On the ground, tensions rise, foreshadowing a 'hot' summer. Migrant deaths multiply, on the ring road, but also at the Channel Tunnel site, during attempts to board freight shuttles. Up to 2,000 intrusions per night are recorded at this site. As a result of security work on the tunnel site and the ring road, migrants struggle to cross illegally, and their population doubles: by mid-October, the number reaches 6,000.
In the autumn, the situation worsens. November is marked by violent clashes between migrants and police. To ease tensions on the ground, the authorities decide to offer better living conditions with a Temporary Reception Center (CAP) made of containers, accommodating 1,500 people.
At the same time, they clear a 100-meter strip along the ring road, giving law enforcement better visibility. Under heavy police protection, the dismantling of the southern zone, covering 8.5 hectares, begins on February 29, 2016.
Then, on September 26, François Hollande announces on-site that the dismantling will be completed 'before the end of the year,' a decision that administrative justice gives the green light to on October 18, 2016. This ruling thus marks the end of the Calais 'Jungle,' which houses between 6,000 and 8,000 refugees."
Sources: R.V. with AFP, 10/24/2016 at 5:51 AM
On October 16, 2016, I went there and was horrified by the living conditions of these people and the deplorable sanitary situation they were enduring. More human tragedies would surely have occurred if it weren't for all the associations and activists on-site, stepping in to make up for the shortcomings of the French state.
