Charities accuse French police of excessive force towards Calais migrants

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Charities accuse French police of excessive force towards Calais migrants

 

French riot policeman approaches migrants who are on their knees as French authorities block their access to a food distribution point in Calais, France, June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

 

LILLE, France (Reuters) - Two French charities accused police on Thursday of using excessive force against migrants and preventing aid groups from distributing meals in Calais, where about 400 people have returned following the dismantling of a camp last year.

 

Regional police chief Fabien Sudry said security services had respected the law.

 

"In a country with the rule of law, all people can file a legal complaint and ask for an investigation from the police inspector general. No legal complaints have been filed at this stage regarding police violence on migrants," he told Reuters.

 

Migrants fleeing poverty and war in the Middle East, Asia and Africa go to Calais hoping to cross the short stretch of sea to Britain by trying to leap on trucks and trains, or even walk through the tunnel under the Channel.

 

Hundreds of migrants and refugees have been returning to the port city despite the dismantling of the "jungle" camp that housed thousands of people late last year.

 

Dozens of police are still deployed permanently in the area where the camp once stood.

 

"These last few days, in the mornings, security forces have been coming to remove the migrants," Lucie Favry, from local aid association Utopia 56, told a news conference.

 

"They gas their sleeping bags to make them unusable and they gas or put holes in water canteens," she said.

 

The association said it had gathered witness accounts from mainly Eritrean migrants, who said they had been intimidated, beaten with truncheons or punched in the face.

 

In March, the mayor of Calais signed a decree banning gatherings that could stop aid groups distributing meals on the grounds that it was causing a rise in ethnic tensions and conflict between rival groups of migrants.

 

Francois Guennoc, a spokesman for local charity Auberge des Migrants, said police officers were now actively preventing volunteers from distributing food and water.

 

"Everyday we are seeing manhunts, illegal police violence, harassment of refugees and the prevention of the distribution of water and meals," Guennoc said.

 

(Reporting by Pierre Savary; Writing by John Irish; Editing by Andrew Bolton)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-02

[Jonmarleesco]

'The association said it had gathered witness accounts from mainly Eritrean migrants ...'

 

Somewhat onesided, then. If it gets to a point whereby the police are throwing them into boats and sending them on their way, that might then be considered excessive force. Until then ... 

[halloween]

2 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

'The association said it had gathered witness accounts from mainly Eritrean migrants ...'

 

Somewhat onesided, then. If it gets to a point whereby the police are throwing them into boats and sending them on their way, that might then be considered excessive force. Until then ... 

Throwing them into boats and sending them home would be a logical solution to the problem. Shooting those who didn't want to go might be considered excessive, but you wouldn't have to shoot many before they got the message.

[goldenbrwn1]

Just take one look at their faces in that pic. All I can read is rape, rape , rape, rape, some theivery, more rape ...oh and of course benefits. I'm not going to be judgemental and suggest they may become terrorists though. That may cause me to be called a bigot or something of the like.

[Ian Maxwell]

This is so typical these bloody do gooders and tree huggers are a real problem everywhere in Europe they just cause problems by trying to help in situations that through there naive generosity cause massive problems for everyone else ! and in doing so also cost the governments in these countries a lot of money which of course gets handed down to the average working people to sort out it makes me sick let the police do there job and stop meddling in things that don't concern you or if there feelings are so genuine then let the do gooders pay for each immigrant to live with them and be responsible for any of there actions be it rape or theft or terrorism ! I think that might cure the problem over night ! its like feeding stray dogs you don't cure the problem you cause the problem ! does anyone else agree with me ?

[goldenbrwn1]

2 hours ago, Ian Maxwell said:

This is so typical these bloody do gooders and tree huggers are a real problem everywhere in Europe they just cause problems by trying to help in situations that through there naive generosity cause massive problems for everyone else ! and in doing so also cost the governments in these countries a lot of money which of course gets handed down to the average working people to sort out it makes me sick let the police do there job and stop meddling in things that don't concern you or if there feelings are so genuine then let the do gooders pay for each immigrant to live with them and be responsible for any of there actions be it rape or theft or terrorism ! I think that might cure the problem over night ! its like feeding stray dogs you don't cure the problem you cause the problem ! does anyone else agree with me ?

Completely.