Ten days after the visit of the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin to Calais, a large part of the 500 evacuated migrants returned to the city and survive in " intolerable " conditions , without drinking water, showers or food, alert this Tuesday July 231 , several associations.
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In this city of Pas-de-Calais and its surroundings, hundreds of migrants " today no longer have access to drinking water, showers or food ", according to Médecins du monde, Amnesty International , Médecins sans frontières, Secours Catholique and Cimade, who are alarmed by this situation in an open letter to Mr. Darmanin. The new tenant of Place Beauvau went to Calais on July 12, to announce the launch of a " Franco-British intelligence unit " against migrant smugglers who exploit their desire to cross the Channel.
Two days before, more than 500 migrants gathered in an industrial area of the city had been evacuated to various reception and administrative detention centers. " Nearly half were already back the day after " the minister's visit and " many others " have since returned to Calais, write the associations. Deprived of their tents - destroyed - these people are confronted with " the shutdown of the main food distribution and the shower system " that existed on site. The drinking water taps in the industrial zone are themselves " inaccessible, due to the police presence " to prevent a reformation of the camp.
"You will only have seen what we have been kind enough to show you"
The associations are also calling on the minister to " change the paradigm " on the situation in Calais, the eternal gathering point for the many migrants who hope to cross the Channel to reach the United Kingdom. " The experience of the last 30 years shows that the brutal response of daily police evacuations does not bring any dignified solution, no regulation, absolutely nothing, except additional suffering ", they write.
Finally, they deplore the organization of the visit of Mr. Darmanin, who did not meet them during his stay in Calais, a few days after his appointment to the Interior. “ Like all your predecessors, you will only have seen what we wanted to show you or what you wanted to see ”, they regret.
