French Greens statement on Calais jungle

Yesterday there was a small but lively protest outside the French embassy in protest against the events in Calais. Below is a picture of some Greens with the embassy behind them taken by Louise who has some more here.


The French Greens have issued a statement on the events which I thought you might be interested in seeing.

Calais: hide the misery that we could not see

The dramatic evacuation of the "jungle" is an inhumane and unnecessary PR exercise that does not solve the underlying problem.

The closure of Sangatte, as we predicted, merely moved the problem. It will be the same for the sweep of Calais.

The vast majority of refugees had left before the police arrived. As for those arrested, what will become of them? Will they be returned to countries at war where they risk death, in spite of international conventions. What will happen to the children? The problem has been masked temporarily and will reappear.

The French and European governments must accept their responsibilities towards the human drama of the Kurdish and Afghan refugees and give them asylum, rather than sweeping them away with bulldozers.

We must fully restore the Geneva Convention in Europe instead of choosing the strategy of terror and despair.

This media event was highly political. As with every election, the government is quick to stir up migration issues.

Djamila Sonzogni, Jean-Louis Roumégas