Seeking Sanctuary Update for September 2019

Evictions

We start with the the sad news that yet again a forced eviction has taken place in Northern France. Less than a week after around 800 people were evicted from their refugees in woods and waste ground around Calais, it was the turn of Grande Synthe near Dunkirk. Nearly 1000 people were expelled there. Up to now these people had been left relatively unmolested due to be the humanitarian attitude of the previous Mayor who has now taken his seat as an MEP after been elected on behalf of the French Green Party. We heard the usual assurances that those displaced would be taken to other centres.

A recent report by a French group that provides information and support to immigrants concluded that, for the refugees evacuated from previous camps, a good portion of them end up in centres scattered all over the country lacking not only the means and personnel competent in asylum cases, but which - more importantly - are used to "shelter" these people while organising their deportation, whether asylum seekers whose requests were refused - still very numerous - or people waiting for a transfer to another EU country.

We expect to see almost all of those who have just been removed returning to Northern France within a fortnight or so, again living in precarious conditions. In the complete absence of any facilities they will make their increasingly desperate attempts to cross the Channel. Some can afford to pay excessive sums for a small boat crossing, squeezing others out of the market, rendering them tempted by the blandishments of traffickers and ending up as victims of modern slavery in the UK. And remember, there are 20 or 30 minors among these people, a couple of them aged just six or seven.

Similar scenes are being reported near ports all along the coast from Flushing to Bilbao.

Hostility

The febrile atmosphere pre-Brexit hostility mounts, not just for EU citizens but for anyone considered as a foreigner.

The far-right group Britain First has instigated vigilante patrols on beaches near Dover. We have pointed out to various media outlets that the Border Force and Coast Guard are well able to take care are of any arrivals and this latest vigilante patrol is simply an act of provocation. There is no doubt that the numbers off people making desperate attempt to cross the channel are rising but are few in comparison to the hundreds who make the journey from Turkey to Greece every day.

You can find a Media Release about this tragic situation on our website, issued on 24 August. We conclude that, 'There is nothing illegal about seeking sanctuary from violence and oppression. If these exiles were treated with a degree of humanity and respect, rather than being endlessly harassed in France, they are less likely to resort to traffickers and risk death by using unorthodox means to try to reach the UK'.

This resulted in several interviews, following which we received abusive communications, prompting Phil to compose a blog a few days later, reflecting upon these experiences - see the post on our website for 28 August.

Our friends from Northern France and the UK meet on a regular basis through our newly established liaison committee 'People not Walls' which met in Dover last week. As ever, the volunteers are under considerable pressure and organisations such as Care for Calais exist from day to day and are often short of basic essentials. Links to the latest lists of needs can be found on our website.

Resources

As mentioned in our August Update, the World Day for Migrants and Refugees takes place this year on 29th September. Pope Francis has laid emphasis on the message of this day, which is that "it's not just about migrants".

Entering the digital age

We are pleased to report that we have finally got our own Twitter account - but what we need now are some followers! You will find us on the hashtag @SEEKINGSANCTUA3, linked thus - please do sign up and we will do our best to keep you in regular contact.

Latest news at www.seekingsanctuary.weebly.com