Iranians with mouths sewn shut protest over 'Jungle' demolition
AFP
March 5, 2016, 1:27 am
Calais (France) (AFP) - A dozen Iranians with their mouths sewn shut in protest at their eviction from France's "Jungle" migrant camp demonstrate for a third straight day as demolition workers were wrapping up their first week on the job.
The Iranians positioned themselves in front of a line of riot police protecting the workers as they dismantled makeshift shelters in the southern half of the camp.
It was the third day in a row that Iranians have staged the disturbing protest in the camp, where thousands of migrants have been living in the hope of the sneaking across the Channel.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told France's BFM TV that he felt "immense compassion and sadness" over the protests, but said the Calais town hall was merely trying to "ensure that each person in a vulnerable position finds a place to stay."
By early Friday, Calais authorities said they had cleared around a quarter of the southern half of the camp that has been marked for destruction -- around two hectares (five acres).
Calais officials said clearing the southern half of the camp would last at least a month. Work was to halt for the weekend and resume on Monday.
There has been no announcement on the fate of the rest of the camp.
"The idea is not to rush things. There are some zones that are easier than others. We must act very pragmatically, very humanely," said local official Vincent Berton.
Council workers have been trying to convince migrants in the destruction zone to move to official centres around France, or heated shipping containers alongside the Jungle.
But many are reluctant to give up their dream of sneaking aboard lorries to Britain, and have simply shifted to even grimmer camps further along the northern French coast.
