Activists in Calais are seriously thin on the ground at the moment; if you can come even for a few days to give those who have been there for months a break, then please don't hesitate!
Africa House being demolished over the heads of its occupants
The scale of this repression warrants more direct solidarity by those in a position to go over and offer support: we are currently down to just a few people over there.
Call the comms phone on 0033 631 869 878 or email
calaisolidarity@gmail.com if you are thinking of going over.
* Latest news includes:
- Eviction alert for the latest Africa House – an industrial complex which the authorities have been slowly demolishing over the heads of its occupants. Police have reportedly just completed special training for the event.
- A demo of 150 activists & migrants for freedom of movement and against the repression
- The police upping the ante against No Borders: 5 activists are served pretty serious charges:
http://www.mesopinions.com/detail-petition.php?ID_PETITION=35d4c6922c47b744cb64e9f1a084bcc4
- Three Sudanese migrants will be on trial on 9th June for 'illegal occupation' of a premises
- The release of video evidence of police brutality to the French media, which received national coverage
- Yet another death at the border: an Iranian man was killed last month when fell from a speeding lorry whilst attempting to shut its doors.
Most of the time we struggle to keep up with the sheer number of raids and arrests, especially when there are few of us there, but our arrest log for May of last year reveals a more comprehensive snapshot of the daily repression in Calais, which we add to this callout to give you a flavour of the intensity of the harassment. The levels of repression remain the same (see our blog). although the differences today are that the PAF (border police) now play a more active role than they used to, and activists are being regularly targeted as well as migrants.
* A month in Calais:
Saturday 1 May: 7pm 4 arrests at Africa House
Tuesday 4 May: 8am raid on Africa House, 2 vans of CRS plus one arrest van, 2 arrests
Wednesday 5 May: morning raid on Africa House, very aggressive, 2 arrests
Thursday 6 May: evening raid on Pashtun jungle, everyone ran, no arrests; night raid on Hazara jungle, 2 arrests; 9pm raid on Palestine house, 12 arrests; 4 Afghans arrested outside evening food distro
Friday 7 May: morning and evening raids on Pashtun jungle, both unsuccessful; night raid on Hazara jungle, no one taken; raid on Palestine house 12.30 pm, 5 or 6 taken
Saturday 8 May: Palestine House raided 1.30am, arrests unknown; No Borders demo, 4 activists arrested and released same day, 5 Pashtuns arrested after demo
Sunday 9 May: 7 arrests in town, 1 somali, 1 sudanese, 2 pashtun, 3 others
Monday 10 May: 3am, 4 people taken outside Africa House;
Tuesday 11 May: Africa House raided 7.30am, 23 arrests; 5 Palestinians arrested trying to cross border
Wednesday 12 May: Palestine house raided 3am, 7 arrests, everything destroyed
Thursday 13 May: Africa House raid foiled by activists – no arrests this morning! 7 people taken from house next to Palestine House
Friday 14 May: Africa House morning raid, 17 arrests; police came again at 12 noon, 9 more arrests. Palestine House: police came at 2am and 5am, 1 arrest. Police came again at 9pm with 10 arrests and use of teargas. 8 of the arrestees were taken 6km out of town and made to walk back. After they had walked 1km they were picked up and driven back to start again.
Saturday 15 May: 11.30 am several arrestees seen in vans, possibly taken off streets; several Palestinians arrested in street; arrest number unknown.
Saturday 16 May: Africa House raided 8.45pm, one person beaten up.
17 May: Pashtun Jungle 4 people arrested in the night.
18 May: Africa House around 8pm, all had documents. Around 8pm 10 Afghans and 2 Palestinians arrested in the street.
19 May: Africa House raided 11am, around 8 taken; Pashtun Jungle raided, arrests unknown; Hazara jungle 2 arrests in morning; Palestine House 5 arrests around 10.30am, tea and sugar stolen, sleeping place messed up
20 May: Africa House raided 8am, 24 people taken; again at 10pm, 7 people taken;
Friday 21 May: Africa House raided twice, 2 vans CRS each time, about 8 people taken; Palestine House raided 4am and 8am, arrests unknown
Saturday 22 May: 5 people from Africa House, 3 people in park nearby and 2 from the house
Sunday 23 May: 5 Africans arrested by BCMO, police try to break camera
Monday 24 May: Pashtun Jungle, 14 arrested in early morning raid
Tuesday 25 May: Palestinian House, 3 or 4 arrested in early morning raid; 2 or 3 Somalis arrested near station
Wednesday 26 May: 6pm, 6 or 7 people arrested on train tracks near Africa House, SNCF security with dog joined in with police; Palestine House 9pm 5 arrests, bedding and water supply sprayed with chemicals, possibly disinfectant; 9-10am one African arrested at the station
Thursday 27 May: 4 Hazaras arrested, 2 in raid, 2 on the tracks;
Friday 28 May: 7 Africans arrested at train tracks 00.20 am; 4 arrested at Pashtun Jungle roughly 9am; 7 arrested at Hazara Jungle in 9am raid, tents and food destroyed; 1 arrest at Palestine House 7 pm
Sunday 30 May: 1 arrest at Palestine House
Monday 31 May: 7 arrests at Africa House; 20 at Pashtun Jungle, police came twice; 4 Hazaras arrested on way to food distro; 6 to 8 arrests at Palestine House in 2 raids, people still held in Coquelles at 10pm; 4 others arrested, probably in the park.
Call the comms phone on 0033 631 869 878 or email
calaisolidarity@gmail.com if you are thinking of going over. * Latest news includes:
- Eviction alert for the latest Africa House – an industrial complex which the authorities have been slowly demolishing over the heads of its occupants. Police have reportedly just completed special training for the event.
- A demo of 150 activists & migrants for freedom of movement and against the repression
- The police upping the ante against No Borders: 5 activists are served pretty serious charges:
http://www.mesopinions.com/detail-petition.php?ID_PETITION=35d4c6922c47b744cb64e9f1a084bcc4 - Three Sudanese migrants will be on trial on 9th June for 'illegal occupation' of a premises
- The release of video evidence of police brutality to the French media, which received national coverage
- Yet another death at the border: an Iranian man was killed last month when fell from a speeding lorry whilst attempting to shut its doors.
Most of the time we struggle to keep up with the sheer number of raids and arrests, especially when there are few of us there, but our arrest log for May of last year reveals a more comprehensive snapshot of the daily repression in Calais, which we add to this callout to give you a flavour of the intensity of the harassment. The levels of repression remain the same (see our blog). although the differences today are that the PAF (border police) now play a more active role than they used to, and activists are being regularly targeted as well as migrants.
* A month in Calais:
Saturday 1 May: 7pm 4 arrests at Africa House
Tuesday 4 May: 8am raid on Africa House, 2 vans of CRS plus one arrest van, 2 arrests
Wednesday 5 May: morning raid on Africa House, very aggressive, 2 arrests
Thursday 6 May: evening raid on Pashtun jungle, everyone ran, no arrests; night raid on Hazara jungle, 2 arrests; 9pm raid on Palestine house, 12 arrests; 4 Afghans arrested outside evening food distro
Friday 7 May: morning and evening raids on Pashtun jungle, both unsuccessful; night raid on Hazara jungle, no one taken; raid on Palestine house 12.30 pm, 5 or 6 taken
Saturday 8 May: Palestine House raided 1.30am, arrests unknown; No Borders demo, 4 activists arrested and released same day, 5 Pashtuns arrested after demo
Sunday 9 May: 7 arrests in town, 1 somali, 1 sudanese, 2 pashtun, 3 others
Monday 10 May: 3am, 4 people taken outside Africa House;
Tuesday 11 May: Africa House raided 7.30am, 23 arrests; 5 Palestinians arrested trying to cross border
Wednesday 12 May: Palestine house raided 3am, 7 arrests, everything destroyed
Thursday 13 May: Africa House raid foiled by activists – no arrests this morning! 7 people taken from house next to Palestine House
Friday 14 May: Africa House morning raid, 17 arrests; police came again at 12 noon, 9 more arrests. Palestine House: police came at 2am and 5am, 1 arrest. Police came again at 9pm with 10 arrests and use of teargas. 8 of the arrestees were taken 6km out of town and made to walk back. After they had walked 1km they were picked up and driven back to start again.
Saturday 15 May: 11.30 am several arrestees seen in vans, possibly taken off streets; several Palestinians arrested in street; arrest number unknown.
Saturday 16 May: Africa House raided 8.45pm, one person beaten up.
17 May: Pashtun Jungle 4 people arrested in the night.
18 May: Africa House around 8pm, all had documents. Around 8pm 10 Afghans and 2 Palestinians arrested in the street.
19 May: Africa House raided 11am, around 8 taken; Pashtun Jungle raided, arrests unknown; Hazara jungle 2 arrests in morning; Palestine House 5 arrests around 10.30am, tea and sugar stolen, sleeping place messed up
20 May: Africa House raided 8am, 24 people taken; again at 10pm, 7 people taken;
Friday 21 May: Africa House raided twice, 2 vans CRS each time, about 8 people taken; Palestine House raided 4am and 8am, arrests unknown
Saturday 22 May: 5 people from Africa House, 3 people in park nearby and 2 from the house
Sunday 23 May: 5 Africans arrested by BCMO, police try to break camera
Monday 24 May: Pashtun Jungle, 14 arrested in early morning raid
Tuesday 25 May: Palestinian House, 3 or 4 arrested in early morning raid; 2 or 3 Somalis arrested near station
Wednesday 26 May: 6pm, 6 or 7 people arrested on train tracks near Africa House, SNCF security with dog joined in with police; Palestine House 9pm 5 arrests, bedding and water supply sprayed with chemicals, possibly disinfectant; 9-10am one African arrested at the station
Thursday 27 May: 4 Hazaras arrested, 2 in raid, 2 on the tracks;
Friday 28 May: 7 Africans arrested at train tracks 00.20 am; 4 arrested at Pashtun Jungle roughly 9am; 7 arrested at Hazara Jungle in 9am raid, tents and food destroyed; 1 arrest at Palestine House 7 pm
Sunday 30 May: 1 arrest at Palestine House
Monday 31 May: 7 arrests at Africa House; 20 at Pashtun Jungle, police came twice; 4 Hazaras arrested on way to food distro; 6 to 8 arrests at Palestine House in 2 raids, people still held in Coquelles at 10pm; 4 others arrested, probably in the park.
Homepage:
Comments
Hide the following 7 comments
i ain't a troll or nothing but...
07.06.2011 14:47
no offence or nothing. but like maybe you should work with the french activists also, and french muslim community?
captain yeah
genius idea
07.06.2011 17:59
anarcho
Why this isn't just an issue for french activists
07.06.2011 18:15
- Even if you disagree with that philosophy, it might be helpful to note that the brutality being dished out in Calais is not in the immediate interests of the French state (why would it be?), its a British govt policy outsourced to the French; £15m was granted to the French government in June 2009 - before the real onslaught of repression - to sort the 'problem' out. But unseen and unheard, except for reports like this, why should we brits concern ourselves with these foreigners eh?!
anon
Theres more important stuff to worry about
07.06.2011 19:40
Theres plenty of more meaniful issues to address in the world
kilo
@kilo
08.06.2011 12:45
I'm seriously intrigued, what are these "plenty of more meaniful (sic) issues"
The two issues I can see with No Borders/Calais Migrant Solidarity are:
1. The abolition of borders/nation states - something all anarchists are presumably fairly interested in.
2. The practical support of a an oppressed minority, who have first been forced to travel halfway round the world (usually as a result of western aggression and/or policies) then subjected to constant harassment and brutality. Hopefully any person with a heart should give a shit about this, whether anarcho or not.
(A)
personally
09.06.2011 10:27
anarcho-struggler
French activist or not..we want you here!
09.06.2011 17:27
BeAtNik