Calais solidarity work continues... UPDATE

The last couple of weeks in Calais have seen continued police repression
at all the different ‘jungles’ (areas where the migrants live). Pashtuns,
Palestinians’, Eritreans’, the Hazara, Iranians’, Sudanese, Ethiopians and
more nationalities besides have all been the target of harassment by the
CRS. Migrants from Afghanistan, Palestine, Eritrea, Korea and Vietnam,
many different nationalities live in Calais all are routinely attacked by
the police indscriminantly.
People are living in appalling conditions, with no water and no
electricity. Migrants from Ethiopia have been chased when they attempt to
get access to these. In the Pashtun jungle there are 850 people with one
tap. There are no toilets in the jungles, and no showers, which has led
to conditions such as scabies causing problems amongst many of the
communities. A few weeks ago one person died drowning in the canal trying
to wash. The leaders of Calais continue to ignore demands for basic
facilities.

No Borders activists have been continuing to patrol the jungles early in
the morning and late at night in order to stop the CRS from gassing or
attacking with dogs or ‘flash-balls’ (plastic bullets). This week there
were arrests in all the jungles and gas was used routinely against the
Hazara and at the Sudanese. When people are gassed they are taken to the
police station and never the hospital. On Wednesday at 7.30 police
destroyed several
shacks in the Palestinian camp. Some people refused to get out but they
attacked anyway, some were gassed. One person tried to avoid arrest by
running away and
jumping in the harbour; but the fire brigade were called and they took him
by boat straight t the police station without hospital treatment. The CRS
were threatening to use flash-balls (plastic bullets) but stopped when
they saw us; which shows our patrols are effective. 9 people were arrested
all were released the same day.
The police have also been increasingly threatening in the Pashtun jungle;
on Wednesday 3 vans and 2 cars came in the early in the morning, and then
5 vans of CRS photographed people. In the afternoon there were 6
arrests. The CRS routinely photograph all migrants, and use gas if they
refuse. Police have also recently hospitalised one migrant by assaulting
him in the park where he was sitting.

On Thursday, at about 10 pm, Iranians made a fire near their camp. The
policemen came with dogs. They struck at least a person in the back and in
the legs. Events like this are common in Calais, which is why we need
people to keep coming across!

It’s not all police repression! This week we also started building a
tree house in the Pashtun jungle to help them keep watch, gave out medical
supplies, played football, drank tea and generally hung out with people in
the different communities. With the French and British governments
committed to making Calais a ‘migrant free’ zone by the end of the year,
now is the time to come and show solidarity.

It is essential to continue having a No Borders presesnce in Calais, the
police use gas much less regularly when we are there, and we are able to
provide basic treatment when they do. Many migrants still remember the
camp and we give people hope when they can see us directly
intervening in solidarity. Also, we have been trying to work with some of
the NGO’s in Calais and encouraging them to help us monitor the police
amongst other things. During August it is Ramadan and one of the main food
distributing groups is on holiday so any kitchens would be very welcome!
With more people in the area we can do more politically to target the
police and challenge the authorities. This is essential as the CRS are
regularly raiding the different jungles, arresting people, needlessly fingerprinting them
and photographing them repeatedly. Most people are released afte a few
hours, and are then sometimes rearrested before they have walked back to
their camp.

If you can’t come but would like to support us we need money, medical
supplies, raising awareness, and translators for documents into Farsi,
Arabic, Pashtun, Tigrinian, Amharaic Kurdish and French. Get involved!

Calais is not an isolated problem, and because of this it is vital that
activists continue to also take action against the border regime and those
that enforce and profit from it.

Freedom of movement for all, and the right to stay!

If you would like more info call.
(0033)650734104. or (0044)788404063.
Or email  calaisolidarity@gmail.com or  noborder-groupelocal-calais@hotmail.fr

To donate
checks payable to Aldir - 4 rue de Colmar - 59000 LILLE
- Bank transfers from France: ASS Aldir - 13507 00147 47033571905 47

- International transfers: ASS Aldir - IBAN: FR76 1350 7001 4747 0335 7190 547 | BIC / SWIFT: CCBPFRPPLIL

 http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/
 http://calaisnoborder.eu.org/


Photographs of the ‘jungles’
 http://www.contre-faits.org/spip.php?mot87

Photographs of the camp
 http://www.contre-faits.org/spip.php?mot88

No Borders Camp film
 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B0IJFQNZ
 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W48080JV

Guardian film about Calais
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/jul/30/eritrean-asylum-seeker-naga

A series of misleading articles by the Daily Mail have been exposed by French local newspaper Nord Littoral. The headline of the DM article on 21st July reads, "Migrants in Calais take the British ambush with a knife in a terrifying flight on the highway". When questioned by Nord Littoral, officials at the PAF Coquelles, who have not registered any violence against tourists, stated; "We must be wary of English newspapers because they tend to use an item to make generalities," . The DM article also states, "Yesterday the Calais Police issued a warning urging motorists to keep their windows and their doors closed until they are safe at ferry terminal” . This information is denied by the police in Calais.
We welcome any action against such irresponsible scaremongering , please direct complaints to the PCC:  http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/process.html

[4] Article in Nord Littoral-  http://www.nordlittoral.fr/actualite/la_une/article_1084857.shtml
Details of the articles discrepancies -  http://nobordersbrighton.blogspot.com/2009/08/mailwatch-2.html

- Monitoring seems to be effective to stop or at least limit police violence, however is difficult to have a situation when we can see everyting especially when we have no cars. I have figured that with two cars circling round without stopping anywhere for long we could actually cover quite adequately all squats and jungles and if CRS pass we could not miss them. Problem we don't even have one car at present - besides occasionally activists bringing their own cars, and no money for petrol .
-Salam volunteers often hang around til late at night with thier two vans after they finish food distribution and they say the police do nothing when they are there but they wait til they are gone and than attack. They are effective but not very mobile and quite frankly I don't think they can do more than they are doing, however we could coordinate better with them.
- I think the situation is going to get uglier if authorities put more pressure on police to ethinc cleansing Calais from migrants. Than maybe we won't be able to stop anything unless there is some sort of mass mobilisation. I don't want to sound pessimistic.
- Migrants find it hard to call the info line because they have no mobile phones, sim cards or credit.
-Migrants appreciate very much the solidarity as far as my experience goes. That can be very good for building relationships. I saw people really grateful, one told me ''thank you for caring', people who never took notice of me suddeenly warmed up, some who never spoke English before suddenly remembered a few words and so on. I thought it very moving. Keep going!
-I think very important to mobilise local people, whether they share a no borders position or not, as they could defend migrants in their area.
-Also I think very important to do more political activity; some cops when I confronted them said they are 'just following orders' (the Nazi used to say the same) and that we should have a meeting with the police authority. Why not, I think we should target those who send the cops on the migrants.
-People who are older than their twenties or thirties may find it very taxing to do patrols if we just a few people and especially on foot or bicycle, go to bed late and get up at 6 in the morning an so on. I'm back two days and still knackered - true I stayed in Calais over two weeks. Before I did not notice, probably I got used to the constant tiredness but I did notice I was getting less and less able to think properly and to do anything else than going to jungels and run after cops.
-Office space discussed on list already- I just wish to add I would like a place with access on the street so migrants can come in more easly.
-Money: is there any way to fundrise and especially in France? Money is a constant problem. It seems the Network for Social Change already gave quite a lot to No Borders camp, but we are not the No Borders camp: maybe we coud ask? Is there an equivalent or the Network for Social Change in France? Other possible sources of funding? Thanks to all activists' amazing generosity but we need more resources!

Ciao
Chiara

There is a proposed operation 17 to 21 August to deal withe scabies operation among migrants in Calais. Latest details of this operation here

 http://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/initial-briefing-about-scabies-operation-planned-for-17-to-21-august/

While we have concerns about the authorities misusing the proposed Scabies Operation (Medecins du Monde and Medecins sans Frontiers) to not only clean up the jungle but also clear out the jungle, we are happy to facilitate volunteers from the UK. Either to help directly with the operation, or to be vigilant and carry on other solidarity and support work with migrants here.

Medecins du Monde and Medecins sans Frontiers have stated that volunteers will be accommodated and fed, and travel from Lille and Paris will be covered, so some travel support from the UK may be possible. Anyone able to speak the languages of migrants here will obviously be better able to explain the planned operation and help migrants make an informed decision about their involvement in it.

Email  calaisolidarity@gmail.com if you are interested and we will forward your details to the people organising the operation and connect you with other No Borders activists who will be present in Calais at the time

Not only can you zip around Calas quickly (different squats and 'jungle' areas ae widely spaced) but migrants frequently ask to borrow your bike for trips to see friends, buy bread etc. It's always been returned promptly and politely and it's a great freedom where all other liberties are being curtailed.

Second thing: I heard people at the market in Calais comment 'Those No Borders people are everywhere'. Our presence is being felt, our ideas are getting across (the leafletting was helpful, along with discussions with passers-by) and judging by the huge generosity of some market stall holders giving away veg for migrants at the end if the day, there's increasing sympathy for the plight of these people. No borders people have to go back to commitments in their home towns, so if others can come to Calais, no-one gets burnt out and the contact and work continues.

Finally, I want to add that although these people are suffering great hardships, it's been a really amazing priviledge to meet and talk and sing with such a diverse and interesting group of brave people. There's been loads of joking and sharing and music happening and I can't wait to go back to Calais.