Ten years on, migrants still massing at Calais for Channel crossing

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 14:44 · Archive

A decade after the Calais Jungle camp was dismantled in 2016, thousands of migrants are gathering in northern France to attempt the Channel crossing to Britain.

A decade after French authorities demolished the Calais Jungle in October 2016, migrants continue to gather on the northern French coast with the goal of crossing the Channel to Britain. The shantytown, which covered 40 acres on the outskirts of Calais, housed thousands of people from sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and beyond. Its dismantling in a seven-day operation was intended to end the stream of irregular migration attempts.

Today, the situation has shifted but not disappeared. The Daily Mail reports that nearly 4,000 migrants are now massing at the ferry port in Calais and neighbouring Dunkirk, according to the Home Office's border security commander, Major General Duncan Capps. France 24 reports that instead of one large camp, dozens of smaller settlements are now scattered across a wider stretch of the French coastline.

These smaller camps are dismantled by authorities approximately every 48 hours on average. Despite the dangers posed by small boat crossings, migrants continue attempting the journey across the Channel in pursuit of a better life in Britain.

How it is being reported

• Calais, 10 years after the Jungle: Migrants still risk the Channel crossingTen years ago, in 2016, thousands of #migrants lived in what was known as the “Great #Jungle”, a vast camp on the outskirts of #Calais. It took the authorities seven days to dismantle it. Today, dozens of smaller “jungles” are scattered across a wider stretch of the coastline. These camps are dismantled every 48 hours on average. For migrants, the goal remains the same: to cross the Channel and reach the United Kingdom. Despite the risks posed by “small boats”, these makeshift vessels, many continue to attempt the crossing in the hope of a better life. Our reporters Pauline Godart, Claire…France 24 · 25 Oct, 14:17
• Ten years after I watched the infamous Calais Jungle camp being torn down, I've never seen so many migrants lining the coast - all hell-bent on heading to Britain: SUE REIDI have been reporting on migrants in Calais for some 20 years. But I have never seen more of them here than in recent days - each and every one planning to get to England.Daily Mail · 24 Oct, 00:18

In this story: Calais · Dunkirk · Britain · France · Major General Duncan Capps

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