Читать книгу The Migrant Diaries - Lynne Jones - Страница 26

The response of the volunteers and refugees to the threat of eviction makes it clear that this is a solidarity movement, not a humanitarian operation. The threat has galvanised the community into action. There are nightly meetings in Jungle Books to share information and ideas. Some, like Sarah, work night and day, collecting testimonies from refugees and volunteers as to why eviction will be damaging to people’s dignity. Other volunteers offer training in non-violence, first aid and legal rights if arrested.

Since Friday, I have been doing regular trainings in psychological first aid, both in the warehouse and in the Jungle. The freely downloadable handbook from the WHO website does not include forced eviction from a migrant shanty town in its examples of possibly stressful situations, but this is just as high stress as the conflict and disaster scenarios provided.⁹

I explain that the before and after periods are equally important: before, when people are extremely stressed about not knowing what is going to happen and how to prepare; and after, when, if worst case scenario arises and the bulldozers come, there may be arrests and confrontations. They are likely to be disorientated and confused, lacking information as to what they can do.

The message that we can all provide psychological support to one another in times of extreme stress, and that counselling tents, a degree in psychology, or training in ‘debriefing’ are not required, goes down well with both volunteers and refugees. The key actions of attending to people’s basic needs, making sure they are safe, providing information and immediate comfort, connecting them to others who can take care of them, are what almost all the volunteers here do every day, so finding that these are endorsed as essential first steps to improving people’s wellbeing is reassuring.

In the afternoon, a stream of celebrities including Jude Law, Tom Stoppard, Toby Jones and Juliet Stephenson, among others, arrives at the Dome to join the refugees in a performance of live music and letter reading. The volunteer lawyers are working flat out, as they do every day, in the legal centre next door. I bring a young Sudanese man for advice. As I expected, because he has no relatives in the UK, they advise him to claim asylum here. There is a queue of people waiting, and the lawyer tells me they are jealous because they are missing Jude Law, so I run over to ask Jamie Byng from Canongate if he will please bring the celebrities to the lawyers when they are done performing. He does, and the lawyers are as delighted as small children at Christmas, even though, as Jude Law points out, their work is more vital than his.

In the evening, there are about one hundred people gathered in the Jungle Books meeting room waiting for evening training—almost all refugees. They speak three languages. It’s not particularly comfortable or warm, and, as usual, there is the low murmur of conversation. I stand on the small platform around the stove. We get people into language groups so that all translators can work simultaneously, and I see to my amazement that all these young men are listening intently. They are eager to know how to cope, help, and take care of themselves and others. They answer my questions and get the idea. Towards the end, one of them asks:

– If there is an eviction, will you be here to look after us?

– Alas, no—I explain—I have to go back to the UK and then to Greece.

– So what will we do?

–You will support and take care of each other and there are many here to help.