This Border Kills: two years of police violence in Calais
No Borderer | 24.09.2011 12:10 | Migration | Policing | Repression | World
Over the past two years, activists in Calais have been intervening in and documenting police raids, arrests, beatings, evictions and destruction of property, as part of campaign of resistance against the war on migrants Calais.
They have physically intervened with their bodies; built and defended barricades; and alerted sans-papiers to enable them to escape. Aware of the apparently endless resources being channelled into a brutal border enforcement policy, activists wanted to explore all possible avenues to fighting the repression, including legal ones.
Having carefully documented the tactics used against migrants in the region, we compiled this information in a dossier of evidence, which was submitted to France's new Human Rights Ombudsman on his first day in office. He has since launched a public inquiry into policing there, and although we aren't so delusional to think that this is going to end this war, we have seen levels of violence drop since his announcement.
Depending on the results, we may also go further down the legal avenues if that's what it takes.
The English version of our report is now available here:
http://calaismigrantsolidarity.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/english-dossier.pdf.
It also presents background to the situation in Calais and an exploration of the politics that informs the policy played out in the region.
Having carefully documented the tactics used against migrants in the region, we compiled this information in a dossier of evidence, which was submitted to France's new Human Rights Ombudsman on his first day in office. He has since launched a public inquiry into policing there, and although we aren't so delusional to think that this is going to end this war, we have seen levels of violence drop since his announcement.
Depending on the results, we may also go further down the legal avenues if that's what it takes.
The English version of our report is now available here:
http://calaismigrantsolidarity.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/english-dossier.pdf. It also presents background to the situation in Calais and an exploration of the politics that informs the policy played out in the region.
No Borderer
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I've had a quick read of the report
25.09.2011 23:12
1) In regard to deaths. Most of these appear to be the victims own doing. Blaming the governments for this is unfair. No one wants these people to hang on the bottom of a lorry and get crushed. The only people to blame here are the people doing it.
2) Showers etc. Wondering who is actually meant to pay for these and why? Again, taxpayers don't see why they should have to pay for their own showers AND other peoples.
3) Democracy. There are plenty of polls showing the majority of people in the UK are concerned about immigration and that they want tougher borders. Are you saying that all these people should be ignored (undemocratic?)
david
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