France Cracks Down on Immigrant Camp

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7 years after the controversial refugee camp at Sangatte in France was closed by officials there, the French state has found itself dealing with another group of immigrants seeking a way to get over the channel to the UK.

The so called 'jungle' - an informal camp of mainly Afghan and Iraqi refugees has become a point of contention in France for over a year as it has grown in size and squalor. Under EU immigration rules, asylum seekers and refugees must seek asylum in the first member state they reach. However, these refugees have travelled across Europe in order to attempt to reach Britain.

The English Channel is, of course, a fairly insurmountable obstacle which has left nearly 1500 migrants in legal limbo and without official support from any state. Left to fend more or less for themselves, the camp has descended into a fairly squalid state and earned the nickname"the jungle". The migrants have been forced to rely on charitable help for water, clothes and sustenance.

On the 22nd September, 600 French police officers in riot gear moved in to "dismantle" the camp. Lacking alternatives, many migrants have dispersed leaving many people to conclude that this will only cause a temporary halt to the problem - with migrants simply reconvening at a new location. Some of the people - including women and young children - simply allowed themselves to be rounded up.

The tension over the situation has served to re-open debates about asylum and immigration in Europe. Under the UK's visa system, the migrants have no legal status - the Government going so far as to claim that the migrants have "no right" to claim asylum in the UK at all. Conversely, the French seem to lack the political will to deal adequately with this band of displaced people either through deportation or other legal avenues.

Whether these migrants are genuinely displaced by war or persecution or are the victims of promises made by unscrupulous people-traffickers, it is clear that they are now in a very real plight for which there is no easy answer.