Social cleansing in Calais: Massive crackdown following Home Sec's visit

The persecution of migrants in Calais has escalated dramatically over the past week, with the authorities essentially trying to deny their very existence by viciously enforcing a de facto ban on their presence in the town.

Whether its an industrial site, empty house, patch of concrete, or grass; African and Asian migrants (whether or not they have papers is of little significance in the eyes of the fascist CRS) are being hounded by the police, humiliated, deprived of sleep, in some cases arrested or beaten, and evicted.

In particular, this drive to rid Calais of migrants has intensified since the eviction of Africa House a week Monday.

* A week in Calais, in evictions:

Monday:

Africa House, massive complex housing around 100 people, is evicted. Police are maintaining a permanent guard of its empty and dilapidated structures until it is completely demolished.

Tuesday:

Eviction of Global House, a building that everyone had moved to a day prior to the AH eviction

Thursday:

Destruction of the long-term camp of Teteghem outside Calais. Everyone was woken up roughly, rounded up and arrested. People lost their possessions (inc money and ID) in the eviction. The camp was home to 70-80 people.

Massive raid on food distribution site. Everyone had moved to this prison yard-like site in desperation, since there are no escape routes. 35 people were arrested; the several dozen or so who remained (apparently because they had papers) were told that the police would arrest them if they found them sleeping there when they came back.

Tensions were very high. People seemed to be cracking under the pressure. One man said he hadn't slept for a week. Another, who had been beaten by the CRS, was marching about screaming “Fuck the police! Fuck the police!” Fights broke out.

Monday:

The food distribution site, used as shelter again, was evicted once more. Possessions were lost.
When people ventured out to try and find somewhere else to sleep they found all empty squats were surrounded by police who were lying in wait. Undercover police were everywhere.

People eventually settled for a patch of concrete wasteland and put up tents they were given by No Borders or had managed to save from the last eviction.

Tuesday:

At 3.30pm, the encampment on the wasteland was evicted and destroyed. Violence was used towards activists.

This intense effort to deny migrants any possibility of rest or shelter comes on the back of last month's visit by Home Secretary Theresa May. She met her new fascist ally, Interior Minister Claude Gueant, to inspect frontier controls and collaborate for a tougher border enforcement ahead of Olympic Games.

Following the inspection, May gave a speech at the town hall, concluding that, “We are committed to continuing to ensure the border is impenetrable.”