Tagged: Galloo
Evictions in Calais and Paris
Today the French police evicted the Squat Galloo and the jungle near the Leader Price supermarket. Opened in July 2014 by a collaoration between associations, migrants and activists, at one point home to over 300 people, Galloo was a space in Calais for people to gather, share a meal, charge phones, and rest. It was people’s home.
This morning at 6am the eviction at Galloo started by 10am the numbers of police had increased. The police surrounded the 12,000m square disused metal reclamation building blocking off all possible exits. People staying inside were given a limited time to collect possessions and were escorted from the building through a side entrance. Reports claim that 66 people were arrested and around 40 of them were taken to the detention center in Coqulles, although this is not confirmed. There is now security on the premises.
At the Leader Price Jungle, which had already experienced a semi-eviction earlier this year, scores of Gendarms cleared the area around the supermarket, forcing people from their sleeping spaces. There are reports of arrests from here aswell.
The new destination for the people ejected from their shelters, the open air prison on the outskirts of Calais, the new jungle surrounding the Jules Ferry Center. Those evicted today were those who had been resisting against the ‘voluntary’ move to the new day centre for over two months, having been pressured by the police and other state organisations to leave at the end of March. Here is a statement from the residents in Galloo, written back at the end of March to explain why they didn’t willingly move to the new centre.
This police operation was co-ordinated as well with the eviction of a large jungle in La Chapelle in Paris, which was home to over 350 people.
police plan actions for tomorrow, friday
The ultimatum to leave for the people in front of the BSMO is friday 6am, the one for the church at 10am.
there is a request for people to be there in the night and in the morning to support them the moment the police will come.
please spread this info.
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la police plannifier des qctions pour demain, vendredi
L’ultimatum de quitter pour les personnes en face de la BSMO est vendredi 6 heures, l’une pour l’église à 10h.il ya une demande pour les gens d’être là dans la nuit et le matin pour les soutenir au moment où la police viendra.
la police ne est pas allé Galloo avec le même message, mais il est possible qu’ils y aller demain aussi.
s’il vous plaît diffuser cette information.
Why we are not moving ; from residents of Galloo
The end of March has come. There are many people who have, under the threat of eviction and violence from the police, gone to the new camp around Jules Ferry. However there are some people left in some of the old living places who have no intention to move.
Here is a statement from some residents of Galloo about why they are not going to leave
– In the new place there are no walls to protect the people from wind, it is open without any protection from the rain. The squat we have now protects us from the weather
-The new place can be controlled by the police and they will be able to make restrictions on people’s movement
-Government will not provide toilets or electricity or building in the new place
-This place we have now is near to the prefecture, and other associations and organisations some of us need to see for making aslyum in France
-Some people demand asylum in France and they have applied for a home. They decide not to go until they get their homes
-The new place is far from the centre and far away from where we normally live in Calais
– There is too much garbage in the new place and its not hygenic, many people will get sick
– His industrial area and there is too much smoke because of fire and plastic being burned
– There is bad drainage and there is too much grass, and the place is for hunting may be dangerous for being shooting by chased gun
-Some organisations which give food here can’t go with us to the new place
-There is not enough space for everyone
-It will be difficult for us to adapt to the new place
The evictions have started / Les expulsions ont commencé
At the moment we are getting a lot of questions about when the evictions are going to happen or start. Lets be clear, they started a long time ago. Just because the police have not gone into the jungles and squats and destroyed them in a big violent media spectacle, they have been happening and will continue for a long time.
They started when the plans for the new day centre were announced. They continued when they announced that everybody has no choice but to move to the land outside the centre, and no other living spaces will be tolerated. They continued when many people claiming asylum in Calais were re-homed to other cities in order to reduce the numbers of people on the ground. They continued when daily police violence and arrests increased dramatically over the last few weeks, making sure that people were tired and exhausted and with no energy left to face the police. They continued when they Offi and the police continue to visit living places, counting down the days until the police are coming, making sure people feel like they have no choice but to go.
Pschologically and physically harassing people into moving to a place they don’t want to go is an eviction. Maybe this has not been an eviction that makes for a good news report the way you write them, there are no dramatic photos, but it is an eviction none the less.
Last week (as we have said before) the women from the Women’s House were moved, against their wishes, to a new house inside of the day centre. Over the weekend everyone from the camp Tioxide and the Afghan jungle in Bois Debruille moved to the new day centre. They did not do this by choice. They did this under threat of arrest, violence, and destructions of their homes.
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En ce moment nous recevons beaucoup de questions sur le moment où les expulsions vont se produire ou quand démarrer. Soyons clair- ils ont commencé il ya longtemps. Juste parce que la police n‘est pas allés dans les jungles et les squats pour les détruire de manière ultra spectaculaire, médiatique et surtout violente, il y’avait quand meme des expulsions et elles continueront encore pendant longtemps.
Les expulsion ont commencé lorsque le projet du nouveau centre de jour a été annoncés. Elles ont continué quand ils ont annoncé que toutes personnes n’aurait pas d’autre choix que d’aller sur le terrain autour du centre, et que aucun autre lieux de vie ne serait tolérée. Elles ont continué quand beaucoup de demandeur d’asile à Calais ont été placés, dans d’autres villes afin de réduire le nombre de personnes sur le terrain. Elles ont continué lorsque la violence et les arrestations au quotidien par la police ont considérablement augmenté pour faire un sorte que les gens étaient fatigués et épuisés et sans énergie pour faire face à la police. Elles ont continué quand l’Offi et la police ont visité regulièrement les lieux de vie, pour s‘assurer que les gens n’ont pas l’impression d’avoir d’autre choix que de quitter leurs lieux de vie.
D’harceler les gens psychologiquement et physiquement pour qu’ils se déplaçent à un endroit où ils ne veulent pas aller est une expulsion. Peut-être que cela n’a pas été une expulsion qui en fait un bon articledans le journals pour les journalistes qui vivent de la sensation- il n’y a pas de photos spectaculaires, mais ce mine de rien une expulsion.
La semaine dernière (comme nous l’avons déjà dit) les femmes de la Maison des femmes ont été déplacés, contre leur volonté, à une nouvelle maison à l’intérieur du centre de jour. Au cours du week-end tout le monde du campement Tioxide et de la jungle afghane à Bois Debruille s’est déplacé vers le nouveau centre de jour. Ils ne l‘ont pas fait par choix. Ils l’ont fait sous la menace d’arrestation, la violence et les destructions de leurs maisons.
NOUVELLE ALERTE : RISQUE D’EXPULSIONS VERS LE SOUDAN / / NEW THREATH: RISK OF EVICTION TO SUDAN
Lundi soir, une quinzaine d’exilés soudanais ont été arrêtés entre le squat Galou et le campement du fort Nieulay. Une partie d’entre eux ont été relâchés dans la nuit, mais huit ont été placés en rétention au CRA (Centre de rétention administrative) de Coquelles, à côté de Calais, avec une décision d’expulsion vers le Soudan.
Ils passeront demain matin à 8h au tribunal administratif de Lille, qui se prononcera sur leur recours contre leur placement en rétention et leur expulsion. La présence de soutiens est souhaitée (Tribunal Administratif, 143 Rue Jacquemars Giélée, 59800 Lille https://goo.gl/maps/STR2Q).
Prenez contact avec Préfet du Pas-de-Calais, Denis Robin, pour exiger l’arrêt des procédures d’expulsion vers Soudan.
par téléphone : 03.21.21.20.00
par fax : 03.21.55.30.30
sur le formulaire de la préfecture : http://www.pas-de-calais.gouv.fr/Contactez-nous
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NEW THREATH: RISK OF EVICTION TO SUDAN
Monday night, fifteen Sudanese exiles were arrested between the squat Galou and the camp of Fort Nieulay. Some of them were released in the night, but eight were detained at the ARC (Administrative Detention Centre) in Coquelles, near Calais, with an expulsion order to Sudan.
Tomorrow morning at 8 am they have their courtcase at the Lille administrative court, which will decide on their appeal against their detention and deportation. The presence of support is desired (Administrative Court, 143 Rue Jacquemars Giélée, 59800 Lille https://goo.gl/maps/STR2Q).
Get in contact with Prefect of Pas-de-Calais, Denis Robin, to demand no deportations to Sudan:
Telephone: 03.21.21.20.00
Fax: 03.21.55.30.30
on the form of the Prefecture: http://www.pas-de-calais.gouv.fr/Contactez-nous
A december in Calais
Winter has arrived with storms and rains. The big jungles and Galloo squat are still there; Tioxide-jungle with 2 restaurants, school, church, mosque and a shop. (see below news about forthcoming evictions). There are around 2000 people living rough in these spaces. The cold weather shelter is open occasionally with 350 sleeping spaces: it’s located far from the city and even when open it is not easily accessible due to the short opening hours.
December saw a high level of police violence concentrated on truck parkings and traffic jams leading to the Euro Tunnel and port. Attacks were sporadic and beatings seemingly random, aimed at discouraging migrants form trying for England and plainly expressing police racism. Police chased people into oncoming traffic, broke many limbs, and regularly used pepper spray at point blank range. They destroyed cameras when people attempted to film these illegal acts of violence.
When arrested from the streets near the jungles people were often taken to far away detention centers, such as Rennes, Metz, Nimes, Strasbourg and Paris. Some were even transported by plane to distant detention centers via a small airport in Calais.
The border entails various forms of violence. Migration controls violates women’s rights through racism and sexism in a way that these two systems of oppression are very much interlinked.
The hospital of Calais refuses to carry out abortions for migrants with an extremly cowardly explanation. The authorities based their decision on law that says that you cannot travel to France to have an abortion there, obviously that is not the case of the women at all. They systematically send women that could not proove an official residence in France to the hospital of Grande Synthe, that is 50 kilometers away. They claim that this is because they are concerned about the womens security, since abortion is supposed to be a specific medical intervention (although it is an intervention like any other with very low risks) they say it is to dangerous for the women to go back to the jungle afterwards. So yeah, they think staying pregnant against their own will is healthier and safer for the women.
After complaints having been made, the hospital should be called out by the ministry of health, since this racist, selective practice of carrying out basic health services is completely illegal!
However, not all was bleak. There were a few festive moments, namely a demo on the International Migrants’ day on the 18th, a couple of small Christmas parties in the jungles and a big New Years party at the Galloo Squat. The demo was organized by various associations as a response to the ‘Wall of Shame’, a large security fence recently installed by the UK government to increase security in the Ferry Port and previously used for the NATO summit in Cardiff. It was well-attended with over 1000 people. All of the parties were a great success with no violent police interventions or other incidents – just wild dancing to a very mixed play list and general merriment.
Next week on wednesday at 2pm (Centre Social Espace Fort Yves
2 B Rue D Ajaccio) self defense classes for women, trans* and queers will start ! These classes will hopefully take place regularly on a longterm basis- we are still looking for teachers that are happy to come around and hold one or several classes!
What to expect for January ?
An eviction notice, without a specific date being set has been placed in front of the sudanese jungle and the Bois Dubrulle (forest on the opposite side of Tioxide mainly inhabited by the afghan and ethiopian comunity) by the CRS. Several asylum seekers living in the spaces being threatened are ready to challenge the decision in court.
The last official announcements made by the prefecture claimed that there would be no forced evictions of any living spaces until the new day center opens. So when does it open? Food is supposed to be served there starting from mid-january and the original opening date of the center was set for the end of the month. But it seems like there are some additional works inside the building that take up more time than foreseen, so we don’t reall know at what point they actually wanna get going. Anyways we aren’t waiting for it with high expectations. The day center is part of a wider anti-migration strategy and comes along with other agreements between Natacha Bouchart and Cazeneuve with the UK (more policemen in Calais, closing-off of the port with the fence all around). Starting from the moment the daycenter opens, all other squats and jungles etc. are supposed to disappear and a ‘zero tolerance politic’ towards them has been announced. All services for migrants are supposed to be centralised in this space far from the city center, in order to concentrate the migrants outside of Calais. There will be no sleeping places for men, camping will be tolerated on the fields around. The outcome will be an even more official segregation between the habitants of the city and the migrants being locked out in the middle of nowhere.
Location of the center: https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Centre+A%C3%A9r%C3%A9+Jules+Ferry/@50.974514,1.903281,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7dacbfa7f4b841b5
What a mess…
Today has seen an eviction decision concerning Fort Galloo by the court, and the return of fascist scumbags in town.
After a long juridicial procedure the judge has made a final decision on the squat cannot remain. As of yet there is no date for eviction set by the prefecture (lazy shitheads). Meanwhile no alternative provision for the migrants has been offered, the women’s shelter is already over capacity, and promise of a daycenter is nothing but an empty gesture.
As if this wasn’t enough we had to suffer Marine le Pig coming with her fascist cronies to show their faces in order to spread their politics of hate and to benefit from the frustrations in Calais. Whilst about 100 fash turned out to see the Queen of the Right, about 30 anti-fascists came out to disrupt Marine’s airtime on the TV/radio. As usual, the police protected the fascists which resulted in 1 anti-fa being punched in the stomach by a high ranking police officer and another had their finger broken by a cop.
At this time of humanitarian crisis which calls for political innovation we see nothing but the same tired reactionary, racist politics being facilitated by the police. In the end the only “solutions” that have materialised are 100 extra cops and a NATO security fence all in the name of securing the border for the UK. With over 2,000 migrants in Calais and winter on its way, perhaps now is the time to try opening the borders…?
