Clashes between police and migrants continued into Monday evening after authorities moved in earlier in the day to dismantle parts of the refugee camp known as the Jungle.
The homes of up to 200 people of the approximately 3,500 people living in the camp had been demolished by the middle of the day, according to a British refugee aid group, as smoke went up from blazes engulfing makeshift shelters.
Some homes appeared to have been set alight by the heat of teargas canisters fired at crowds by riot police, said a spokeswoman for the British volunteer group Help Refugees, while some residents seem to have set others on fire in protest.
Video footage from a volunteer inside the camp showed residents running away from clouds of teargas. Reuters said police fired teargas at about 150 people and activists who threw stones, and at least three shelters were on fire.
The clashes continued into the evening near a motorway heading to the port of Calais, where vehicles were blocked by migrants on the stretch of road overlooking a piece of ground which had previously been part of the camp.
Reacting to the demolitions, Amnesty International said that both the French and UK governments had to live up to responsibilities in relation to those who were evicted, including facilitating access to asylum proceedings in France and visas to the UK for those with family and friends. (Source BBC)
Comment:
Following the attacks that took place in Paris in November 2015 many praised the spirit of the French and other European nations that continued to allow Syrian refugees and others into their countries to seek asylum and try to restructure the little that remained of their lives. However despite this supposed act of generosity the situation and care of refugees has been little more than a shambles with the systematic mistreatment of refugees at borders and within camps, such that the condition has been likened to a jungle in Calais, though even a jungle may be kinder.
Whilst French forces continue to ally with military operations under the pretext of a sham ceasefire in Syria, and continue their long established actions to destabilize the entire MENA region and beyond; those displaced and caught in the crossfire find themselves faced with persecution, bombardment and sanctions amongst other tragedies many of us could never comprehend. Those able enough have fled to Europe as well as neighboring states such as Jordan and Lebanon, hoping to escape the string of atrocities they faced and find a degree of security and opportunity for them and their families.
In France this has not been the case, and the open door refugee policy has been nothing more than an act of showmanship from a bygone age of the Cold War in attempt to win an ideological confrontation and assume the moral high ground. Systems in place for refugees reflect this, as funding is limited to the presence of charity’s only, and drawn out such that incredibly long processes are created that keep refugees, those most deserving of help, in squalid conditions not too dissimilar to the internment camps of the early and mid 20th century.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
“When it is said to them: Do not cause corruption on the earth, they say: We are but reformers.”
(Surat Al-Baqarah 2:11)
The violence that has erupted from these camps in the past few days is a reaction to the inhumane conditions people have been kept in, where the little they had is now being demolished to forcibly move refugees to containers despite estimates saying that up to 3500 refugees will have nowhere to go after this. The truth is the ‘jungle’ in Calais has become a national embarrassment for the French and British and the removal of such a camp is to be able to showcase greater organization albeit for less than half of the refugees there with the rest cast to the wilderness. If this were, as many try to suggest an act of hospitality, the French authorities would at the very least have been willing to allow the area to remain until sufficient accommodation could be found.
However, this course of action by the French authorities speaks volumes about the mindset of European narrative setters, and their views about the Muslim refugees. They are seen as sub human and a reluctant responsibility has been thrust upon on them. With the exception of a few refugees most are ordered where to stay, what they can do and where they can claim asylum. At no point are these people viewed as real people with wishes or preferences let alone human rights that should be accounted for. The force used by the police is evidence of this, where no negotiations or explanations are made available and refugees are expected to heel to the will of their ‘gracious’ hosts, similar to Dickensian orphans.
The Islamic way of life and its sublime systems of state provide a stark contrast with what has become normality in Europe. The most poignant example of this is when the Makkan Muslims arrived in Medina; refugees, people who had left behind or lost all they owned. The reaction of the Ansar of Medina was to share everything they had, to the extent that they’d divide their possessions by a half for the Muhajirs. Even the video clip of Palestinian children of Gaza, that went viral last week, showcased the superior Islamic values, in which every youth warmly welcomed the hypothetical prospect of a million Syrian refugees entering their city, showing immense generosity and sincerity despite their own sparse resources, overcrowded and impoverished conditions.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمَنْ يَسَّرَ عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ يَسَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ»
“Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve his hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease someone in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter.”
Compare this to the rise of the right in Europe, or even the regular anti immigrant rhetoric purported by media outlets looking to fear monger and demonise the weakest people in the world. A mindset which is quickly pervading a once liberal, mainstream view. This only highlights their flawed system of life and governance where humanity and collectivism plays second fiddle to individualism, a filthy by-product of the liberal secular ideology of Capitalism, which is only capable of bonding a populous upon benefit and financial interests. Humanitarianism is non-existent under Capitalist governmental principles and processes, as charity and is extended to the nation state at most, and delegated as a choice for an individual. Thus inhibiting Capitalist nations from ever creating lasting solutions for global problems.
Maleeha Hasan