Activists and refugees are expected to take part in cross-Channel protests today (Saturday) to fight against what they believe are over-tight border controls.
The action is scheduled to start at 10am in Calais where migrants and campaigners will gather at the town hall before the activists board ferries and travel to Folkestone.
They will congregate outside the Joint Intelligence Unit (JIU), which is a centre for British and French police officers who specialise in trying to combat illegal immigration.
Just last month, UK and French immigration ministers Phil Woolas and Eric Besson visited the centre in Folkestone to see how successful the joint operation had been.
But activists from No Borders, an organisation fighting for freedom of movement and equal rights, believe refugees are a product of war and are in desperate need of help.
Many say the closure of the ‘Jungle’ outside Calais, where hundreds of immigrants lived in makeshift homes until it was torn down in September by the French authorities, would not stop migration.
For years those trying to enter Britain illegally have gathered at Calais to try and sneak aboard lorries and trains heading for Dover.
No Borders protestor John Simonds stressed that closing the camp would not solve the problem and instead have a detrimental effect on the lives of immigrants.
He said: “UK immigration minister Phil Woolas has announced that the United Kingdom will contribute £15 million to the introduction of improved security mechanisms, all the while failing to acknowledge the reasons why people migrate.
“When Eric Besson cleared the Jungle, he did not stop migration.
“Attempts to make the borders impermeable by 2010 will not stop people trying to cross, but only force them to take more life threatening measures.”
Fellow activist Sarah Young said: “What they call illegal immigration is in fact the visible human cost of war, which they don’t dare face.
“Everyday increasing numbers of UK troops are sent to Afghanistan, but when the human stories emerge and people inevitably migrate, we respond with further violence and hardships against these individuals.
“It’s a sickening injustice.”
At last month’s meeting of the UK and French immigration ministers, Det Chief Insp Stephen O’Keefe, of the Joint Intelligence Unit, said their work aims to stop the exploitation of immigrants.
“Working in partnership with other law enforcement organisations the JIU seeks to pursue organisers of immigration crime and those who prey on the hopes and vulnerabilities of others,” he said.
“The additional resources, closer working and increased sharing of information should make a positive difference to the lives of vulnerable people whilst making the lives of those who seek to gain from their misery more difficult.”
But No Borders activist Jane Keeley believes France and England are tightening their grip on the borders and creating solidarity between those without legal papers.
She said: “The demonstration will begin and end in Calais with activists from across Europe travelling back together to Calais in order to continue the work with those migrants who could not cross today.
“We will continue to resist police oppression in Calais and demand an end to these racist border controls, freedom of movement for all, and the right to stay without fear of persecution, invasion or natural disasters.”
POSTED: 28/11/2009 09:00:00
Bookmark with:
Email to a friend: