Police in France have evacuated an illegal camp containing about 500 migrants in the northern port city of Calais. From Calais, migrants attempt to illegally cross the Channel into Britain.
According to the French newspaper The world stayed in the camp Iranians and Sudanese. Among them were at least thirty children. All people are housed in shelters spread across northern France.
The eviction was preceded by a hard confrontation between dozens of migrants and the police. The clashes took place near a hospital and on the way to the seaport. From there ferries make the crossing to England.
Seven officers were injured, a regional driver said. They have been treated in hospital. It is not clear how many migrants were injured.
Jungle van Calais
The eviction took place on a court order, with the violence as the direct cause. A statement from the regional government said the illegal camps “caused serious problems for public order”.
Illegal camps are regularly evacuated by the police. But usually it concerns smaller groups of migrants. In 2016, the ‘Jungle of Calais’ was cleared. That was an illegally set up migrant camp with thousands of residents.
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