UK Edition
- Thousands of residents and truck drivers stage massive protest over "Jungle" camp
- Hauliers say they are constantly attacked by migrants trying to reach UK
- They plan to block A16 road leading to Calais port
- British holidaymakers warned of "travel chaos" caused by blockades
- Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart - "The situation has become unbearable"
- We'll keep blocking Calais unless Britain stops fining us over migrants, say French truckers
Thousands of angry Calais residents, lorry drivers and farmers blockaded the Channel Tunnel and ferry port on Monday to demand the demolition of the sprawling “Jungle” migrants’ camp, blamed for rising insecurity.
Tractors and lorries blocked the main route to the tunnel entrance, the A16 motorway, and the road to the ferry terminal, causing severe delays for holidaymakers and goods vehicles.
The people of Calais are furious that the motorway has become a no-go area at night because of a surge in attacks on vehicles and motorists by increasingly aggressive migrants and people-smugglers, often armed with clubs, knives or chainsaws.
Some migrants rocks or bottles at cars to cause crashes in an attempt to divert attention from people stowing away in vehicles bound for Britain.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former conservative president, now campaigning to return to power, demanded that Britain open a detention centre for migrants on its territory.
He said that, if elected next year, he would “travel to London the next day” to negotiate over the migrants. He stopped short of saying that British border controls in France should be moved back to the UK.
He said British and French officials should screen migrants in Calais to decide which of them should be sent to Britain and which should be processed at centres in France.
“These cases must be dealt with on British territory. It is the only solution to organise the demolition of the Jungle and stop the influx in the future, because the migrants will no longer be able simply to wait for the right time to cross to England.”
Mr Sarkozy added: “France must stop being so lenient with those who do not fulfil the criteria for asylum and are not eligible to obtain refugee status. They must be sent back to their countries, which the current government is not doing.”
David Sagnard, a local haulier and union delegate who helped to organise the protest, said anger was “above boiling point” as drivers faced injury and damage to goods and vehicles.
“To say we’re fed up is an understatement. Things have been getting worse in recent weeks. Enough is enough, even if we do feel some sympathy for the migrants.”
The protest went ahead despite a pledge by the French government last week to raze the “Jungle” camp by the end of the year.
Frédéric Van Gansbeke, a spokesman for Calais shopkeepers and business owners, said the government has repeatedly failed to fulfil similar promises.
Half of the squalid shanty-town was bulldozed in February, but since then its population has more than doubled to an estimated 10,000.
“We’ll believe the government when we see that the camp has gone,” Mr Van Gansbeke said. “It’s damaging the economy, putting off tourists and disrupting transport. Unemployment is high here and it’s getting worse.”
Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, who joined the protesters, said: “It’s intolerable for the people of Calais and for British people who use the port and the tunnel. The government is no longer ensuring security.”
Mrs Bouchart, of the opposition centre-Right party, The Republicans, welcomed the latest assurances by the Socialist government, but added: “I’m remaining vigilant. They must do what they’ve promised and it must be done fast.”
Among the protesters was Maxence Crapoulet, who was left with head injuries and a limp after being attacked at a service station by about 15 migrants.
“I stopped to use the toilet and they beat me with sticks and smashed the windscreen. They were so angry, but I couldn’t help them,” said Mr Crapoulet. 22. “There are attacks every day on the motorways in this area.”
Christophe Delacourt, a Eurotunnel maintenance technician, said migrants had also smashed his car windscreen. “About 20 to 30 of them tried to get on a lorry,” he said. “When it didn’t stop and they failed, they grabbed tree branches and started attacking my car. Of course, I was afraid.”
Eurotunnel had advised its employees to take smaller roads or avoid driving to work.
Another protester, Yann, accused activists from the “No Borders” group, including some Britons, of taking part in some of the attacks on motorists to help the migrants get into the UK.
He said he’d been threatened by the activists who “came to my door with a knife” and threatened to cut his throat.
Allison and John, a Mansfield couple who drove to France for the day, said they had been delayed for nearly three hours by the protests.
“If we’d known it was happening we wouldn’t have come today,” said John, 77.
“I understand the demonstrators and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before, but for it was terrible for us.” Paul and Susan Riley, from London, said they postponed driving home until today (Tues). “I had to take an extra day off work, but it’s chaos here,” said Paul, 42, an engineer.
Highways England plays down fears UK roads will be affected
A Highways England spokesman has said Operation Stack will only ever be enforced as a last resort, adding that the routes approaching the Kent coast are currently running smoothly.
"We are working closely with our partners to monitor the situation in Calais and to do whatever we can to keep traffic moving," the spokesman said.
"Operation Stack is only implemented as a last resort, and in agreement with the county council and police.
"Our routes approaching the Kent coast are operating well."
Channel Tunnel cut off by protesters
David Chazan in Calais has more details on which roads are blocked:
The protesters have blocked all access to the Channel Tunnel, which means getting to and from France via that route is impossible.
They have also blocked a major road leading to the port, the A16.
Though there are other smaller roads that led to both the tunnel and the port, tourists are unlikely to be familiar with them.
Kent police 'assessing impact of protests in UK'
A Kent Police spokesman said: "Kent Police is aware of proposed activity on the continent on 5 September and regularly liaises with both ports and highways authorities to ensure plans are in place for any potential travel disruption.
"We are currently assessing what, if any, impact there might be in Kent."
Are you caught up in the Calais chaos?
If you have found yourself caught up in the travel chaos caused by the Calais protests, the Telegraph would be keen to speak to you.
Email james.rothwell@telegraph.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 7931 2703
Fears of another "Operation Stack"
The Telegraph's Sam Dean reports:
It is feared the protest could lead to the return of Operation Stack, the road management tactic that caused weeks of disruption last year, as traffic backs up from Calais.
Operation Stack sees up to 5,000 lorries parked - or stacked - on the M20 in Kent, and is co-ordinated by Kent Police.
It caused weeks of disruption for hauliers and holidaymakers during last year's Calais crisis as the coast-bound carriageway was closed to house thousands of HGVs.
A spokesman for the Road Haulage Association said: "They are blocking the main road out of the port so you won't be able to turn left or right. One of our concerns is that if you can't get out of the port at Calais then traffic will back up, and there is all the potential for putting Operation Stack in place."
The spokesman said the protests present a "nightmare situation" for hauliers bound for mainland Europe and those returning to the UK, and added: "We spoke to one of the protest leaders on Saturday who clearly said they are in this for the long-haul."
Britons getting lost in Calais due to police roadblocks
Matthew and Helen Bolton are gotten themselves lost after trying to find their way to the Channel Tunnel.
The couple, from the Wirral, were on their way back from a camping holiday with their three young children when they were diverted by police, the Press Association reports.
Mr Bolton, 33, said: "We have no idea where we're going, we're trying to get to the Tunnel.
"Basically what the police have done is just block the road and not told you where to go - that's what we're a bit miffed by really."
Meanwhile, David Chazan has more footage of protesters on the A16.
Travellers urged to avoid Calais
The region's local administration has told people to avoid non-essential travel to the Calais area throughout the day.
Aid groups warn that a hasty shutdown of the camp would scatter the migrants, aggravate the city's troubles and worsen the humanitarian drama. While the camp conditions are dismal, migrants have access to food distribution, showers and makeshift shops.
The government says about 7,000 migrants are living there, while aid groups estimate more than 9,000.
You can follow Telegraph reporter David Chazan on Periscope, who is with protesters marching towards the blockade area.
Migrants in camp appeal for calm amid tensions
A large number of migrants at the so-called "Jungle" camp say they are increasingly concerned about the escalating violence and the area and say they only wish to "live in peace."
Religious leaders within the camp- both Christian and Muslim - have urged inhabitants to keep away from the motorway where the protests are taking place to avoid any confrontation, David Chazan reported earlier.
In the camp itself, BBC correspondent Richard Galpin says an asylum seeker from the South Sudan told him he is saddened by the tensions.
He said all he wanted to do was live in peace, having already escaped from conflict in his home country.
'It's like civil war,' says farmer on key migrant route
France TV has spoken to a French farmer whose pastures run alongside the A16 - which has led to a constant stream of migrants passing through his land, leaving mountains of rubbish in their wake.
Every morning he dreads going outside to inspect the damage and says it once took him 27 hours to clean it all up.
"I can't put up with all this cleaning up any more... It's like my home has become the battleground of a civil war," he said as he showed reporters the bin bags he had filled with various debris left behind by migrants - as well as empty tear gas grenades hurled at them by police.
He said he will be joining protesters at the blockades today.
Local haulier - Our safety and livelihoods at stake
Local haulier Eric Fiolet, one of the organisers of the protest, said: “It’s action we need now, not promises that may or may not be kept. I don’t know of any trade or any workers who would put up with being attacked the way we are, every night. Our people risk being hurt or having their livelihoods — their lorries — destroyed.
"The pressure’s been increasing for three-and-a-half years. We’ve exhausted all possibilities of discussion and negotiation and today our backs are against the wall.”
Warnings of travel chaos for British travellers
British cross-Channel travellers face disruption as lorry drivers said they were "in it for the long haul" in their protest about the migrant crisis around the French port town, a trade association has told the Press Association.
The group added that the drivers will stand their ground until they see action to dismantle the Jungle camp.
Pressure has been growing on the French authorities to tackle the problem, which has seen the camp swell in size in recent months, and talks took place between protest organisers and French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Friday.
Lorries and tractors are set to gather at Dunkirk, to the north of Calais and Bolougne to the south, at 7.30am (local time), according to the Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett.
Mr Burnett said the RHA had spoken to a representative of the French road transport union, the FNTR, to confirm this, and they were disappointed that "despite assurances that the action by Calais hauliers would take the form of a go-slow, this now appears not to be the case".
"Both groups will then travel along the A16 towards Calais, converging at the Eurotunnel exit," he said.
The RHA said 200 French farmers are joining in the protest, angry at migrant action that has resulted in destroyed crops and extensive damage to farms in the area.
Mr Burnett added: "It seems certain that traffic crossing from the UK will find it almost impossible to leave the port as access to the A16 is denied.
"The inevitable repercussions of this will surely mean that the authorities on this side of the Channel will have no alternative but to deploy Operation Stack. This will bring yet further misery to hauliers bound for mainland Europe and of course for the people and businesses of Kent."
Nicolas Sarkozy: Britain must open a detention centre
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former conservative president now campaigning in the hope of returning to power, has demanded that Britain open a detention centre for migrants on its territory.
In an interview with a Calais newspaper, Mr Sarkozy said that if elected, he would “travel to London the next day” to negotiate over the migrants.
He stopped short of saying that British border controls in France should be moved back to the UK. He said teams of British and French officials should screen the migrants in Calais to decide which of them should be sent to Britain and which should be processed at centres in France.
Mr Sarkozy told the Voix du Nord newspaper: “These cases must be dealt with on British territory. It is the only solution to organise the demolition of the Jungle and stop the influx in the future, because the migrants will no longer be able simply to wait for the right time to cross to England.”
He added: “France must stop being so lenient with those who do not fulfil the criteria for asylum and are not eligible to obtain refugee status. They must be sent back to their countries, which the current government is not doing.”