Police are again clearing migrant camps in Calais

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Photo: DENIS CHARLET / AFP

Five years ago, French authorities cleared the »Calais jungle«, the largest slum in France with around 6,500 migrants.

Now another camp with hundreds of migrants in the northern French port city of Calais has been cleared.

The migrants were taken to various reception centers, according to a statement from the Prefecture of Pas-de-Calais on Friday.

According to this, around 30 children had also lived in the camp, which consisted of several halls.

According to media reports, between 400 and 650 migrants were brought out of the camp.

The halls are said to be destroyed.

As the French news agency AFP reported, around 300 police officers were used to clear the camp.

New warehouse in Calais

From Calais, migrants keep trying to cross the English Channel and get to Great Britain.

The crossing is usually life-threatening.

Some are also trying to get to the UK through the Eurotunnel.

The authorities had looked on until 2016, and an area with huts and tents was created - because of the catastrophic conditions on site, it became known as the »jungle«.

At that time, many residents resisted the eviction, sometimes violently.

Over days there were clashes between migrants and security forces.

After the "jungle" had been cleared, there had always been smaller camps.

According to the authorities, there are several of these camps around Calais.

They attribute the fact that several hundred migrants came together again to the easing of entry regulations after the end of the corona lockdown.

Several hundred migrants had hoped to be able to travel on to Great Britain now.

mrc / dpa / Reuters