Friday, February 26, 2016

French Court OKs Wrecking Calais Refugee Camp; Critics: Closing "Jungle" Camp Will Worsen Crisis

A French court today (February 26, 2016) upheld a government plan to demolish hundreds of tents and wooden shelters housing migrants and refugees in the shanty town outside the coastal city of Calais known as the "Jungle," according to the Christian Science Monitor website.

In announcing plans to close down the Calais camp, authorities cited security and sanitation concerns and the increasingly tarnished image of Calais, a city of nearly 80,000 that takes pride in attracting tourists to its Opal Coast.

French authorities said they will increase daily efforts to move displaced migrants into a container camp set up last month in the northern sector of the "Jungle" and encourage them to go to temporary welcome centers where they can reconsider their plans and eventually apply for asylum in France.

But critics say closing the camp would only exacerbate the crisis, as the displaced people will be forced to go back to sleeping in fields and smaller camps.

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