All countries are made up of people who have migrated from other parts of the world, be it legally or illegally and often in post-colonisation eras - such as Algerians in France or Indians in the UK. Whether you are a Brexiter, or a charity worker, we are all part of the same world. If we want to understand what is at the heart of the issue of migration, we have to examine the facts. We need to shed light on the individuals themselves, who have an identity, a story to tell, a family to protect; they are not just numbers in a crowd.
By integrating people from different cultures, each country’s culture becomes richer, which generates identity and history. Why would we refuse diversity? Putting politics aside, why not give migrants that are fleeing their own war-torn countries a chance to integrate our society? According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), over 1.5 million people have arrived in Europe by sea alone since the Syrian war broke out in 2015, without counting the over 12,000 people that were reported dead or missing.
Let’s examine the migration crisis in France, traditionally known for its openness to immigration. The mid-1960s showed a large-scale influx, not only from Algeria but also by Pieds-Noirs, a group of people of European descent, mostly French, living in Algeria between 1830 and 1962. More than 50 years on, the Maghrebi culture, through Algerians but also Moroccans and Tunisians, is now an integral part of French culture with tolerance towards their Islam religion having significantly developed. Although some recent events have shown rejection, in part due to the terrorist attacks in Paris, Islam has never been as present on the French scene as it is today. In a more and more secular country, Islamic culture has gained its place in the French scenery.
However, there is still a special, not so welcoming, place in France; the “Jungle of Calais”. For you and me, it might not sound like a terrifying place, as the Northern coastal town has lovely beaches and a fascinating historical background. Unfortunately, for migrants wishing to cross over to the United Kingdom, this is hell on earth. Not only are they unable to step on British soil, but they are also not granted proper asylum in France. In return for overcoming the hardship of leaving their country in atrocious conditions and for making the long, terrifying journey from Syria, they are “welcomed” with tents, tip-like zones to live in and very little, if any, sanitary comfort.
For about 20% of the camp’s population (1,500 out of the 7,000 people) a new, safer camp was opened in January 2016, offering shelter in maritime container-like “homes”. The Jules Ferry camp provided hope for families (mainly women and children). Stephane Duval, Director of Asylum and Human Development for La Vie Active, a charity located in Calais, explained that the migrants would be granted a form of asylum with accommodation, food and medical check-ups. Showers were available for the 1,500 migrants who were able to sleep in these containers, which were luxurious compared to their previous atrocious conditions in Grande Synthe and Sangatte. The new camp would also help protect women and children from violence, as rape and abuse were frequent, and the children had access to schooling close by. Help was also offered towards providing identity papers to get asylum in France.
However, whilst they may have been moved from an unorganised mess to secure containers at the beginning of 2016, this new camp was evacuated in the same year, dismantled at the end of 2016 and has since been destroyed; back to square one for the migrants. Today, the situation remains complicated. Some migrants have been there from the start, many others have arrived later. Definitely fewer than the original wave, but still far too many to manage and still little governmental support. Tension still runs high.
There is however still hope for these populations; corporate businesses and state institutions may have let them down, but charities and NGOs are still fighting for their cause. Help Refugees, Refugee Community Kitchen and Unicef are amongst the few present. We were able to interview a member of Care4Calais, Tara Biles, who offered us better insight into the world of migrants, but also shared some of the untold stories of the volunteers. As a student at the University of Liverpool, Tara went on a ski trip with the university and passed through Calais. The sight of the camp inspired her to offer her help; in her own words: “Oh my God, this is mental, the problem is huge”. She was able to get out there to help during the Easter holidays for the first time.
Despite having no real experience in this area, she was recruited by Care4Calais as the governmental help had left a while ago, leaving the NGOs and smaller charities desperate for help. They needed and accepted all the support they could get, with volunteers coming from the UK, Belgium, France and Spain. Days started early for the volunteers, who attended group meetings at 8:30am to plan the day. Distribution of food, English and art classes were assigned. After security checks and notices, off to a long day of work for Tara, who mainly did distribution for the refugees. In addition to serving food during lunch hour, migrants were given clothes to combat the cold; new arrivals came with basically just the clothes on their backs. Following the cleaning up and dropping off of volunteers, Tara headed home at 8pm after a 12-hour long and exhausting day. Despite being thrown in at the deep end, Tara was enthusiastic: “We were always working with such amazing people, the other volunteers are so incredible and we had such a great experience working together. I found that to be really motivating,” explained Tara. “It was always challenging, but it felt like you were doing good things so it was never too bad,” she added.
The life of volunteers was not easy. “It’s a difficult lifestyle; living with barely any money, not the nicest living conditions and long days, but it is something I would go back to in a heartbeat if I could afford it.” Tara was clearly touched by the human element of her work; meeting incredibly motivated volunteers, but also backpackers who stayed in Calais for a couple of months. Even more important was the close relationship she managed to build with the refugees, who were always very kind to her. These people had suffered terribly and yet, even in the atrocious conditions of the Jungle, they still found a little warmth in their heart for the people helping them on a daily basis.
As part of her experience, Tara wanted to talk about the charity she set up, Solidarithé. It started out with Tara and some friends distributing sleeping bags in Paris when the camp was being dismantled at the beginning of winter. The small team has soon came to realise that migrants were travelling from country to country, going on rumours that the grass was greener elsewhere. People were struggling with the administrative side of things, complicated asylum applications being made even harder by the migrants not speaking French. So, when giving out coffee or tea to the refugees, Solidarithé decided they would try to become a point of reference. The charity offered information about places to shower, how to get around in the area but also offered legal help, especially for asylum applications. Key initiatives were to improve safety in the refugees’ living areas - often close to motorways, prostitutes and drug dealers were moved on. “We were able to turn it into this really safe space that people began to treasure for a few hours in the daytime where we ran art classes, language classes, get access to information and a hot drink”. Whilst the project was started with four or five main people, the help of volunteering students from a local university brought the project more recognition and greater efficiency.
Before moving to her conclusions on the whole experience, the issue of overexposure or badly reported stories by the media was key in the overall experience. Tara had strong feelings about the policing in the area, how the use of tear gas was inappropriate:“Over eight times the amount of tear gas was used in the Calais Jungle alone than in the rest of France in that year, which is ridiculous.” The police were making lives for refugees even more difficult instead of improving them. She described with ill-concealed emotion a protest during Ramadan in Paris, how food distribution, was stopped for unknown reasons, leaving 1,800 refugees without food. The crowds were pepper-sprayed by the police forces, with Tara in the middle. With the protesters hustling and screaming “We are not animals”, injuries were bound to happen. “This one boy with a broken leg was sitting in the corner and was asking to leave. The policeman was yelling at him, “Go back to where you came from, go back to Africa”. It was disgraceful to witness the police behaving so badly, abusing their power over children, especially, but the whole crowd in general.
Tara strongly encouraged people to lend a helping hand through small acts; “Actually seeing the little things people do is amazing, like people coming together and buying fifty pairs of gloves from Primark and sending them out or writing a letter to their MP.” Whilst the problem was headline news two years ago, there is now the feeling that, as the media coverage has died down, the crisis of Syrian refugees swamping Europe no longer exists, that the problem has been dealt with. On the contrary, now with Brexit, even fewer people will be allowed into the UK, leaving more stuck in the Jungle on the French coast with still many refugees flocking to the North of France. She stressed that, “Most of us are very lucky to say that it probably won’t happen to us in our lifetime because we come from a more fortunate background. Remember that these people aren’t just numbers, they are people with stories and families who care about them.” Tara encouraged people to come and live a similar experience to hers, help out in the community or in a charity as a volunteer. “Go volunteer if you can!” were her final words of the interview.
There are many other stories of how volunteers across Europe have come to help, but also got support from the rest of the world. For the charity Every Child is a Gem, Kelly Dailey (American), Reema Shakir Jraidan (Iraqi-American) and Carina Okula (Australian) traveled from Paris to help refugees with blankets, clothing, food and their hands to contribute to the charity’s work in the field. Carina Okula tells many heart-wrenching stories of widowed families who survive with barely anything, or of children running in the filthy mud with no shoes. Raising money and working hard on a daily basis unfortunately only go a little way in helping the refugees; Reema recounts how one ex-Iraqi soldier said he should have died at war with his friends instead of staying alive two months in Grande Synthe. “I was so sad and didn’t know what to say. I just told him, “I don’t know. I’m not a politician. I’m just a mom who’s trying to help by cooking and collecting some donations. I’ve never felt this useless and hopeless.”
It is not easy to get involved, especially as most of the migrants are on not on British soil. It is however important to bear in mind the fact that small acts go a long way; if you come in contact with migrants, showing human compassion and empathy during a conversation with them can go a long way. You can meet some families in Colchester, so offer them a cup of tea and listen to the stories they bring from their native countries. The courage they have shown is incredible and they deserve at least a little kindness.
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