Tagged: acab
Updates of the Demo// Nouvelles de la Manif
A comrade was arrested and charged for attempting to conceal his identity and participating in an unauthorized demonstration; the trial will be on 7 November, in Boulogne sur Mer.
Un camarade a été arrêté et inculpé pour essayer à dissimuler son identité et la participation à une manifestation interdite; le procès sera le 7 Novembre, à Boulogne sur Mer.
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Published on October 3, 2016 on Squat!net with some photos (in French only).
Publié le 3 octobre 2016 sur Squat!net avec quelques photos:
https://fr.squat.net/2016/10/03/calais-recit-et-reflexions-a-propos-de-la-manif-interdite-du-1er-octobre/
> Calais: récit et réflexions à propos de la manif interdite du 1er
Ce samedi 1er octobre, une manifestation de solidarité avec lesmigrant-e-s était prévue à Calais (link, link) au départ de la «Jungle», nom donné au plus grand bidonville de France, où vivent plusieurs milliers de migrants (pratiquement que des hommes). La manifestation devait traverser Calais pour finir au centre-ville.
Deux jours avant, la manif était «interdite» par la préfète du Pas-de-Calais, Fabienne Buccio, qui annonçait «l’interdiction de toute manifestation revendicative en lien avec la question des migrants à Calais, Sangatte, Coquelles, Fréthun et Marck-en-Calaisis, pour l’ensemble de la journée du 1er octobre 2016».
Il n’y avait pourtant aucun souci pour manifester un mois plus tôt contre la présence de migrants à Calais… (link) Mais, là, pas moyen d’exprimer sa solidarité avec les migrants, surtout pas en plein centre-ville.
Cette journée a donc pris place dans une ambiance d’occupation policière devenue banale: dans les rues de Calais, surtout du côté de la Jungle, des centaines de flics (des CRS en première ligne, et des gardes mobiles au cas où) étaient là pour montrer à chacun-e le visage de la république française. Le tout, dans un décor «parfai » pour illustrer ce qu’on appelle la «forteresse Europe»: un bidonville gigantesque à côté d’une route «protégée» de plusieurs couches de grilles et de barbelés, desmilliers de migrants qui survivent dans des conditions difficiles à imaginer. Cette ghettoïsation a été imposée par l’État, qui, après avoir expulsé tous les lieux de vie et de survie ouverts à Calais, a forcé tout le monde à s’installer dans ce no man’s land à l’écart de la ville.
Après la confirmation par le Tribunal administratif de Lille de l’interdiction de la manifestation, les organisateurs (la CISPM, Coalition Internationale des Sans-Papiers et Migrants) ont toutefois décidé de maintenir la manifestation.
Celle-ci s’est mise en place tranquillement sous le pont de sortie de la Jungle, mais elle a immédiatement été bloquée par plusieurs cordons de CRS. Quelques centaines de personnes étaient réunies, de nombreux migrants, ainsi que des militant-e-s venu-e-s d’un peu partout. Dans un premier temps, l’ambiance était plutôt festive, avec batucada et slogans entonnés (principalement de simples «UK, UK», comme «Royaume-Uni», chantés par ceux qui souhaitent traverser la Manche…). Puis, la pluie s’est mise à tomber, et les flics en ont profité pour nous faire chier. Commençant à bousculer les premiers rangs et à balancer des lacrymos pour faire reculer tout le monde, les CRS ont mis tout le monde sous la pluie, avant de noyer l’entrée de la Jungle par des salves de grenades lacrymogènes.
Aux lacrymos ont répondu de premières pierres, puis le canon à eau est entré dans le jeu, et ça s’est enchaîné, les affrontements durant ainsi quelques heures, pratiquement sans discontinuer, s’étandant sur divers points de fixation le long de la route (partout «protégée» par des grillages et des barbelés).
Pendant ce temps-là, quatre bus (près de 200 personnes) ont été bloqués environ deux heures par la police au péage de Setques, à 40 kilomètres au sud de Calais, forcés à faire demi-tour.
D’après le syndicat SGP Unité Police FO, cité dans une dépêche Reuters (link), 700 grenades lacrymogènes ont été tirées durant ces heurts, qui ont duré plus de trois heures et mobilisé plus de 200 membres des forces de l’ordre (sans compter tous ceux qui circulaient autour de la zone…). Selon la même dépêche Reuters, «un face-à-face aussi violent n’était pas survenu depuis le début du démantèlement, le 29 février (link), de la partie Sud du plus grand bidonville de France». Mais ce que ne dit pas l’agence de presse, c’est qu’aussi bien avant qu’après l’expulsion du 29 février dernier, les flics mettent la pression régulièrement sur la Jungle, balançant des lacrymos au beau milieu des habitations et rendant invivable le quotidien des migrants, parfois en pleine nuit. De quoi accroître une rage et un dégoût de ce monde de frontières… et de flics.
Alors le Ministre de l’Intérieur Bernard Cazeneuve peut bien «condamner avec la plus grande fermeté les violences commises par des activistes», de fait l’ambiance émeutière a été créée d’abord par ses flics. Enfin, la rage, les pierres lancées, les palets de lacrymo écrasés ou renvoyés, l’entraide, le partage du matos de soin et de protection contre les lacrymogènes, l’attention envers les personnes blessées ou perdues dans les nuages de lacrymo, si tout cela a été vécu activement par «des activistes», ça l’a été aussi, et principalement, par des migrants. C’est leur lutte avant tout, c’est leur quotidien. Nous étions là ensemble depuis des expériences de vie totalement différentes mais pour des objectifs communs: ouvrir/détruire les frontières.
Et si l’usage de la violence contre la police ne fait pas consensus parmi les migrants (comme parmi les militant-e-s européen-ne-s), l’hétérogénéité émeutière de cette journée était belle au sens où elle montrait qu’on était un certain nombre à refuser de baisser les bras et de se laisser écraser par la force policière. La solidarité entre migrants et «activistes» européen-ne-s se tenait dans une colère collective contre la police, contre l’interdiction de la manif, contre la situation de merde imposée quotidiennement aux migrants, contre ce projet de mur anti-migrants pour «protéger» le port de Calais Et pour un monde ouvert, à l’opposé de celui qui ces derniers temps ne cesse de se refermer sur lui-même, de fermer toujours plus ses frontières, de rejeter toujours plus «l’autre».
Alors tant mieux si quelques véhicules de flics ont été esquintés (sept selon un représentant du syndicat SGP Police-FO), d’autant qu’il fallait être sacrément habile pour y arriver: balancer des caillasses sur les CRS et leurs camions alors qu’on était en contrebas à essayer de les atteindre, tout protégés qu’ils étaient par des grilles et des barbelés hauts de plus de 3 mètres, c’était pas une mince affaire! Chaque pierre touchant sa cible était accueillie par des hourras, au milieu des lacrymos.
Lors des affrontements, il y a eu plusieurs blessés côté manifestants (quelqu’un aurait eu un bras cassé…), vu les tirs tendus de grenades et de flashballs c’est peu étonnant. Quelques flics auraient été blessés aussi ; mais on le sait, il ne leur suffit pas de grand-chose pour se déclarer blessés. Chercher un arrêt de travail quand on est flic, ça se comprend. Un taf pareil, ça doit donner envie de démissionner tous les jours.
À l’heure où les expressions de racisme décomplexé se multiplient (link), il est nécessaire d’exprimer notre attachement à l’internationalisme (et/ou au refus de tous les nationalismes). La liberté, l’égalité et la fraternité ne peuvent exister sans la destruction des frontières (et des États, et du capitalisme, qui exploitent et détruisent nos vies partout sur la planète).
Si la solidarité avec les migrant-e-s doit continuer de s’exprimer au grand jour par des manifs, des rassemblements et toutes sortes d’occupation antiraciste de la rue, elle peut aussi s’exprimer par des tas d’autres moyens, notamment bien sûr par l’action directe.
Comme on peut le lire dans cet appel à agir contre les entreprises (link) collabos du «système répressif et de la machine à expulser» :
Du vandalisme au sabotage rien n’est trop beau pour dissuader les entreprises de collaborer.
Notre champ d’action est bien plus vaste que la zone des jungles. Les pourvoyeurs de l’arsenal policier sont répartis sur tout le territoire. D’où la nécessité, selon nous, d’une riposte décentralisée contre ces fournisseurs du contrôle gouvernemental. Des bornes biométriques aux lunettes thermiques, il y en a forcément près de chez vous. Après l’annonce de l’expulsion et le déplacement forcé des exilé-e-s aux quatre coins de la France, les possibilités d’actions sont multipliées. L’enjeu est de taille et délocalisé.
Maintenant, à nous.
NO BORDER NO NATION
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ENGLISH
This Saturday, October 1st, a solidarity demonstration was scheduled in Calais departing from the “Jungle”, the name given to the largest slum of France, where thousands of migrants are living. The event had to cross through Calais to reach its ending point downtown.
Two days before, the protest had been “prohibited” by the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais, Fabienne Buccio, who announced “a ban on any protest demonstrations in connection with the issue of migrants in Calais, Sangatte, Coquelles, Fréthun and Marck-Calaisis, during the entire day of October 1, 2016.”
There was, however, no problem from the prefect when, a month earlier, a protest took place against the presence of migrants in Calais… But here there’s no way to express solidarity with migrants, especially downtown.
This day took place in an atmosphere of the police occupation which has become commonplace here: in the streets of Calais, especially towards the Jungle, hundreds of cops (CRS and gardes mobiles) were there to show everyone the true face of the French Republic. All of this took place in a ‘perfect’ illustration of ‘Fortress Europe’: a giant slum next to a road ‘protected’ by several layers of fences and barbed wire, where thousands of migrants are surviving in difficult to imagine conditions. This ghettoization was imposed by the state after they evicted all the places of life and survival in Calais and forced everyone to settle in this desolate place far away from the city.
After the Administrative Tribunal of Lille confirmed the ban on the demonstration, the organizers (CISPM, International Coalition of Sans-papiers and Migrants) decided to hold the event anyway.
It took place quietly under the bridge at the exit to the Jungle, but it was immediately blocked by several cordons of riot police. A crowd of a few hundred migrants and supporters gathered, coming from many different places. Initially, the atmosphere was pretty festive, with batucada and slogans being chanted (mainly ‘UK, UK’ being shouted by those wishing to cross the channel…). Then the rain started to fall, and the cops took the opportunity to fuck with us. Starting to shake up the first rows of people and throwing tear gas to push everyone back, the CRS pushed everyone out under the rain, before drowning the entrance to the Jungle with salvos of tear gas grenades.
The first stones were thrown in response to the teargas, then the water cannon entered the game, and it was chained, during clashes lasting a few hours, so practically without interruption, spilling out from various fixing points along the road (all ‘protected’ by fences and barbed wire).
Meanwhile, four buses (about 200 people) were blocked for two hours by police at the toll booth at Setques, 40 kilometres south of Calais, and were forced to make a u-turn.
According to the union SGP Unité Police FO, quoted in a dispatch from Reuters, 700 tear gas grenades were fired during the clashes, which lasted for more than three hours and mobilized more than 200 members of the security forces (not counting those who were circulating around the area…). According to the same dispatch from Reuters, “such a violent head-to-head had not occurred since the beginning of the dismantling of the southern part of the largest slum in France on February 29.” But what the news agency does not say it is that both before and after the expulsion on February 29 the cops had regularly put pressure on the Jungle, shooting tear gas in the middle of the houses, sometimes in the middle of the night, and making migrants’ daily lives unliveable. It’s enough to incite rage and disgust at this world of borders… and cops.
Then the Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve announced his “condemnation with the greatest firmness of the violence committed by activists”, while in fact the ambiance of riotousness was created first by his cops. Finally, it must be pointed out that the “activists” Cazeneuve is speaking of, who experienced rage, threw rocks, did acts of mutual aid, shared stuff for care and protection against teargas, gave attention to the people who were injured or lost in the clouds of tear gas, were mostly migrants. It is their struggle above all, it’s their everyday lives. We were there together but coming from totally different life experiences for common goals: open/destroy the borders.
And if the use of violence against the police does not have consensus among migrants (as it doesn’t among European activists either), the riotous heterogeneity of this day was beautiful because it showed that we refused to give up and be crushed by the police forces. Migrants and European “activists” stood in collective anger against the police, against the ban on the protest, against the shitty situation imposed on a daily basis on migrants, against this anti-migrant wall project to ‘protect’ the port of Calais and for an open-world, against a world in which ever more borders are closed and ever more “others” are shut out.
So much the better if some police vehicles were damaged (seven according to a SGP Police-FO Union representative), especially as one had to be pretty clever to do this: throwing stones on the difficult to reach CRS and their trucks, all protected as they were by fences and more than 3 meters high barbed wire, was not an easy task! Each stone that met its target was greeted with cheers, amidst tear gas.
In the clashes, there were several wounded on the side of protesters (someone broke their arm…), after observing the rounds of flashballs and grenades it is little wonder. Some cops were injured too; but you know, it does not take much before they declare themselves injured. You’re looking for a way to get off work when you’re a cop, it’s understandable. A job like that, it must inspire one to resign every day.
At a time where uninhibited expressions of racism are multiplying, it is necessary to express our commitment to anti-national solidarity across borders. The French ideals of freedom, equality and “brotherhood” are meaningless in the absence of the destruction of borders (and the state, and of capitalism, which exploits and destroys our lives everywhere on the planet, and patriarchy, which thinks ‘brotherhood’ is synonymous with solidarity).
Even while solidarity with migrants must continue to be expressed publicly through demonstrations, rallies and all kinds of anti-racist occupations of the street, it can also be expressed in a lot of other ways, including of course through direct action.
As can be read in this call to act against companies collaborating with the “repressive system” and the deportation machine:
“From vandalism to sabotage, nothing is too good for discouraging companies to collaborate.
Our field of action is much larger than the area of the jungles. The purveyors of the police arsenal are spread throughout the territory. Hence, in our view, there is a necessity for a decentralized response against these suppliers of government control. From biometric devices to infrared glasses, there are companies near you producing these things. After the announcement of the eviction and the forced displacement of migrants across France, the possibilities for action have proliferated. The stakes are high and the field of action is delocalized.
Now, it’s our turn.
NO BORDER NO NATION
Pegida and Police fight in Calais!
Well, maybe fight is too strong a word, but for the first time today French patriots will be happy to know that valuable French policing resources, including CS gas, have not been all used up on migrants! It was also refreshing, although a little odd, to watch the French police throw to the ground and arrest someone in a black hoodie without any CMS folks feeling the need to panic.
At around 1pm yesterday about 150 Pegida gathered at Calais Ville train station to deliver their hatemongering message, and were disappointed to find that, (though the prefecture had already told them the demonstration would not go ahead) the demonstration was not going ahead! Before the demo Pegida claimed that they were expecting 800 to 1,000 numpties to make it to Calais, so with these low numbers and a lack of visible local support the day seems to have been a bit of a wash out.
As well as French flags there were masked men sporting the iron cross, showing that Pegida cannot deny their association with neo-nazis. Among the 20 reported arrests are Pegida leader Loïc Perdriel and figurehead General Piquemal – so Pegida will be unable to blame conflict with police on rogue members.
Despite the heavy policing of the Fascists, showing that the police are not their allies as they may have hoped, the ban on this demonstration seemed largely to focus on the percieved ‘threat to public order’ posed by a counter demo. Opposition to Pegida from locals, migrants, associations and humanitarian volunteers was intimidated both by the threat of attacks from fascists and the threat of heavy policing. Associations in the jungle warned volunteers to stay out of town ahead of the demo, hindering the possibility of a visible pro-migrant presence on the streets.
On this occasion police partially contained a dangerous fascist presence, and the rare sight of our enemies fighting each other warmed our hearts. However, this is limited cause for celebration when we know the new state of emergency ban on demonstrations will also be used against migrant and pro-migrant demonstrations, probably with more heavy handed tactics. Further, the police continue to do nothing about the continued attacks on migrants in Calais and there are concerning speculations that an attack by an ‘armed militia’ last Thursday may be associated with off-duty police.
Against the Criminalization of Support for Migrants
In previous days No Borders activists in Calais have faced a major increase in repression from police and have been falsely accused throughout international media of inciting migrants to riot.
As our group has explained in a public statement, accusations that No Borders activists are inciting the riots are unfounded, ridiculous, racist and plainly an attempt to criminalize our movement and shift the blame from those who are responsible for this situation: namely, the UK and French governments, who are waging a war against refugees.
Activists present at the riots were there supporting by helping to treat those wounded by police by gas, truncheons or being hit by tear gas canisters. Gas was fired deep into the camp and injured many people, including many families who were not engaged in rioting.
The authorities allowed the far right to hold a demonstration last Sunday, inciting racial hatred, making death threats, and burning a Qu’aran in the middle of boulevard Jacquard (Calais’ main street). In the evening 5 nazis wearing hoods went to attack migants near the Eurotunnel. These facts were understandably very upsetting to many in the jungle and we suspect that this was linked to the reasons for the riot.
We see this latest increase of repression as part of a general trend towards the criminialization of supporting migrants, which has also recently included police controls of volunteers trying to enter the jungle and the questioning of many volunteers under ‘Schedule 7’ of the Terrorism Act 2000 on their way back to England.
French regional elections are coming soon, and we suspect that politicians find it very expedient to find someone to blame for the inhumane and intolerable situation of Calais. However, we reject the attempts of the French and UK state to scapegoat our movement for the problems they themselves have created. We call for a recognition of the real problems that were the reasons that many migrants erupted in anger during the past days.
Police Blockade Vehicle Access to Jungle/ Barrage de police pour les accès en véhicule à la Jungle
For the last three days, the police have been restricting car or vehicle access to the jungle, to just those who belong to ‘recognised associations’ that are known to work in Calais. There are only two ways to drive to the jungle, and the police have made check points at these entrances, and access is only available for vehicles carrying an association card.
This started on Sunday, when the jungle is normally full of people making distributions over the weekend. Barely any distributions were able to take place. Locals, from Calais and the surrounding area were also not able inside to visit friends.
In the media the police are saying they are just trying to control the flow of traffic, but this is bullshit. The motivation for this is simple, the police are trying to isolate the jungle, cracking down on humanitarian aid and the unprecedented solidarity movement that has grown around the situation in Calais.
General police presence around the jungle is also increasing everyday. Now the foot patrols the police make through the jungle are lasting for longer and longer. There are often police cars parked along the street that runs up to Jules Ferry, outside pedestrian access to the camp. Also where people go to use the internet.
The police operation of mass arrests and dispersals from the Channel Tunnel and the port is also continuing. We have also been hearing of massive ID controls happening in the centre, at the moment we don’t know if people arrested in these controls are also being subjected to dispersal to other CRA (detention centres). 50 people are being transferred from Calais everyday to detention centres across France, and it is set to continue like this for a while.
Pendant ces trois derniers jours, la police a restreint les accès à la Jungle pour les voitures ou autres véhicules, uniquement à ceux qui appartiennent aux “associations reconnues” pour leur travail à Calais. Seuls deux voies existent pour conduire jusqu’à la Jungle et la police font des checks-points sur ces entrées,où l’accès est reservé aux véhicules ayant une carte associative.
Ceci a commencé dimanche lorsque la Jungle est normalement pleine de personnes faisant des distributions tout le week-end. Quelques distributions ont pu difficilement avoir lieu. Les habitants, de Calais et des alentours, ne pouvaient pas rendre visite à leur amis non plus.
Dans les médias, la police affirme qu’ils essaient juste de contrôler le trafic, mais ça c’est de la merde.
Leur motivation à faire ça est simple : ils essaient juste d’isoler la jungle, de sévir contre l’aide humanitaire et le mouvement de solidarité sans précédent qui s’est formé autour de la situation à Calais.
La présence de la police en général et autour de la Jungle augmente tous les jours. Maintenant, les patrouilles à pied à travers la jungle durent de plus en plus longtemps. Il y a souvent des voitures de police garées le long de la rue menant à Jules Ferry, l’accès piéton extérieur à la jungle. Ainsi qu’à l’endroit où les gens vont pour avoir internet.
Les opérations de police d’arrestations massives et de dispersion au Tunnel sous la Manche et au port continuent également. Nous avons aussi entendu parler de contrôles d’identité en masse ayant eu lieu en centre-ville. Pour l’instant nous ne savons pas encore si les gens arrêtés lors de ces contrôles sont également concernés par leur dispersion dans d’autres CRA (Centre de Rétention Administratif). 50 personnes sont ainsi transférées de Calais chaque jour vers des centres de rétention à travers la France et ce n’est pas prêt de s’arrêter pour le moment.
Two Accounts of Syrian Evictions 21-09-2015
‘Yesterday the police of France came to our small camp. We’re all Syrian, about 250 people. They forced us out of the camp. We did not leave by our freedom. We were forcibly moved in front of the harbor. Here we protested. We shouted ‘Go Syria!’ because in this moment we did not want to be here. They made us feel like animals. They sprayed tear gas at us. One person had an asthma attack and another person was beaten. When we were moved to the jungle we lost everything. All of our clothes and tents, the police didn’t allow us to take anything. Two people lost their passports.’
Udai
‘Before we live in the center of Calais. But the people in Calais don’t like this. The police don’t like this. The police came yesterday morning and they take us here to the jungle. They sprayed gas at us. You feel like your eyes are on fire. We come here to the jungle. I feel at this moment that Syria is better than here. I would choose Syria over the jungle. This is not life here in the jungle. People will fall sick here. This is not life’.
Ali
Deux récits des expulsions des syriens du 21 septembre 2015.
Hier la police française est venue à notre petit camp. Nous sommes tous syriens, environ 250 personnes. Ils nous ont sorti de force hors du camp. Nous ne sommes pas partis par choix. Nous avons été emmenés de force en face du port. Ici nous avons protesté. Nous avons crié « Go Syria ! » parce qu’à ce moment nous ne voulions pas être ici. Ils nous ont traité comme des animaux. Ils nous ont aspergé de gaz lacrymogène. Une personne a eu une crise d’asthme et une autre a été frappée. Lorsque nous avons bougé vers la jungle nous avons tout perdu. Tous nos vêtements et nos tentes, la police ne nous a pas laissé récupérer quoi que ce soit. Deux personnes ont perdu leurs passeports.
Udai, 22 septembre 2015
Avant, nous vivions dans le centre-ville de Calais. Mais les gens de Calais n’aiment pas ça. La police n’aime pas ça. La police est venue hier matin et ils nous ont emmenés ici, dans la jungle. Ils nous ont aspergés de gaz lacrymogène. On a l’impression que nos yeux sont en feu. Nous sommes venus ici dans la jungle. J’ai le sentiment en ce moment que la Syrie c’est mieux qu’ici. Si je devais choisir, je préférerai la Syrie à la jungle. Il n’y a pas de vie possible ici dans la jungle. Ce n’est pas la vie.
Ali, 22 septembre 2015
Police brutality: daily life in Calais Jungle
Monday 31 August
Late this evening over two hundred people ran out onto the motorway to create a blockade. Once traffic had been stopped, eight nearby police officers came onto the scene tear gassing people. As more people began to run in to block the motorway the police began to use their chemical spray more heavily. This created chaos, a dangerous situation as the motorway is situated at the top of a steep slope. A police officer in confrontation with one man, made direct eye contact and sprayed him in the eyes from a distance of less than 50cm away. He fell to the ground instantly. People demanded an ambulance be called, but police refused to do anything. Bystanders helped the fallen man recover by blowing smoke into his eyes to allieviate the chemical sting. The police demanded no pictures be taken of the situation and threatened to use their pepper spray. The presence of white activists caused an obvious reduction in the physical aggression of the police. After 50 minutes, the fallen man began to regain consciousness and blink his eyes. The police tried to push people back at this stage, using pepper spray. This was extremely dangerous as the location on the cliff, with a 3m drop below. The spray forced the crowd down, but put everyone at risk of being trampled. A young boy of 12 nearly fell during the rush from this top. This recurring scene occured just a few hours after French prime minister Manuel Valls’ highly politicised visit to the Calais Jungle.
Police hospitalise and charge deaf and mute migrant!
As has been widely reported in the media, between Sunday night and Monday morning a man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer in the Eurotunnel. What has not been reported is that this man is both deaf and mute!
We have heard from numerous people who saw what happened. The police arrived to disperse a group and when others fled he kept on walking straight because he could not hear the police commands. They took this as defiance and ran up behind him, violently grabbing him. In the end his friends told us that there were two full vans of CRS (about ten individual officers) that were involved in “arresting” him. As far as we can ascertain, this extraordinary level of police force can only suggest one thing. The police decided to take out their frustration and aggression on this one man.
The hospital in Calais told us that at 1AM on Monday someone matching his name and description was treated with stitches for a laceration to the head. It was not noted though that he was in police custody and they do not know where he was taken after treatment.
The police will not give any information either. We do not know where he is, if he has a lawyer, anyone with whom he can communicate, or if he even knows what is happening to him. We are extremely worried that, not being able to hear or speak and without a lawyer, he will not be able to defend himself in court.
The police were very quick to spread this story, or select elements from it, to create an image of the migrants here as violent and dangerous. In this way they hoped to victimize themselves and create the justification for the violence they use against people here on a daily basis; people who just want to get by them and cross the border. If this was the savage and unprovoked attack that police say, why have they not yet released any video evidence? Certainly, with all the money the British have been giving them for more security, the French should have had at least one camera able to see what actually happened. We suspect that the police have cynically manipulated this incident for their own gain. This seems to be their tactic for dealing with their own mistakes; targeting those attempting to cross the border and their allies, demonising them as violent and anti-social.
To remember: at least 12 people have been killed by the Calais border in the last 2 months. Innumerably more people have been beaten, gassed, injured, by police and border security. The violence here is coming exclusively from the state.