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The Jungle, Friday 19 February

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The French Prefecture has served a formal notice of eviction on the inhabitants of the southern half of the camp. In the evening, refugees and volunteers pack together into the Jungle Books meeting room as Mary summarises the key points from the eviction order:

The refugees are accused of attacking the cars and property of residents nearby, of distracting the police forces from more urgent security needs in the fight against ‘terrorism’ in a state of emergency, and of living in unsafe, unsanitary conditions that lack human dignity.

Another stated reason is the “attacks on migrants by individual members of small radical groups around the ‘La Lande’ camp and the incitement to hatred and violence circulating on internet blogs by extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing groups.” So, living in hellish conditions and being attacked by fascists are not arguments for protection, but for eviction!

The authorities state that the southern half of the camp only houses 800 to 1000 refugees—a number that can be accommodated in the new container camp. Others can go to the spaces they have available in accommodation centres around France.

But Help Refugees have done a census in the last week. The actual figures are 3500, which means there is insufficient provision for all those who need it, in particular for the unaccompanied minors. This is the basis for the legal action taken by the Jungle residents, supported by the Associations, contesting the eviction. They argue that no humane, dignified provision has been made for the majority of people living in the camp.

Fortunately, it seems likely that Ben’s rebuilding programme should be able to rehouse all those affected in the northern part of the camp, in either a fixed structure or a caravan. But all social spaces are in the southern part: the Youth Centre, Jungle Books, and the Ethiopian Church. But should people move into these new spaces in the northern half when their legal case to stop the eviction rests on residents remaining present in their homes in the southern half, while the arguments are pursued in court?

The legal action was discussed by all the communities at the coordination meeting last week:

The Sudanese people already decided 100% no one is going to move. We are prepared to die—Riyad had said. Afghan, Eritrean and Kurdish representatives all agreed.

It is a paradoxical situation. No one actually wants to stay in the Jungle. As one refugee said—it’s shit—but their experiences at the hands of French authorities have made most wary of any offer of protection from the French State. When three young Sudanese men dressed in bright red, warm anoraks, clean trousers and smart trainers turned up at the coordination meeting last week to explain what happened if you accepted accommodation in France, most of the refugees walked out, and those that stayed would not believe their accounts. Later that same evening at yet another meeting, the anger was palpable.

They say to seek asylum here, but eighty percent of those who do get rejected. They don’t keep their promises. We are not on holiday. We came because there is war and conflict in our countries, and we all suffered losses.

They destroyed Sangatte in 2004. They destroyed the first Jungle in 2008. I tried asylum in France. I have been trying for nine months. Nothing! Please go to court and explain what is happening to us. People have been killed; people have disappeared. I have taken children to those centres. They promise they will go to the UK soon, but it does not happen. So many of you come to help us, but nothing happens. We don’t trust the French government. We are in deep trouble and they don’t care about us. We came to save our lives, what are you doing? Please do something! And even if the authorities do provide sufficient accommodation, most refugees don’t want to move into the Containers.

The children refuse, how can I force them? Nahida asked me. There is no kitchen, no water—it’s just a container, and a container is for animals, not humans, and there is no school.

One Afghan boy who moved in 20 days ago, told me it was miserable. – It’s twelve people to a room. There is nowhere to lock your things. The toilets and showers do not work. There is no drinking water. You have to get food outside at Salaam, and there is no social space of any kind. So, forget education or physical activities. The gates are locked at night, and if you stay away more than 48 hours, you lose your place. His biggest concern is that they fingerprinted him on entrance, and he worries that will mean he can never go to the UK.

What the Containers and dispersal cannot offer is the dignity, humanity and interconnected community that refugees have created here, out of nothing. At its heart, a constant lively interchange is going on: it is a marketplace, an art show, a school, a library, and a café—all places where it is possible to learn or sit, meet and talk, or just relax. These spaces offer the chance to feel human, become dignified, and treat others with dignity. It is both filthy and intoxicating. Ben told me he knows of refugees who made it to the UK and returned because life in a lonely bedsit was bleak in comparison.

The Migrant Diaries

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