A French court has delayed a decision on whether to demolish part of the Calais migrant camp known as the jungle.
ADVERTISEMENTA French court has delayed a decision on whether to demolish part of the Calais migrant camp known as the jungle.
Photos French Judge visiting The Jungle refugee camp #refugees Calais #jungle… https://t.co/nVbe30muFOpic.twitter.com/r58Elau2a0
— reportdigital.co.uk (@Report_Digital) February 23, 2016
Authorities had issued an eviction order, due to come into force at 8pm CET on Tuesday evening.
Calais 'jungle' migrants receive eviction order https://t.co/UU8hjRZnL8pic.twitter.com/7iEF4xnprQ
— ITV News (@itvnews) February 20, 2016
However, a legal challenge issued by 10 humanitarian agencies and 238 migrants claimed that eviction would constitute ‘‘a violation of fundamental human rights.’‘
The French government has constructed a container camp to rehouse between 800 and 1,000 people.
#Calais Des containers aménagés pourraient accueillir 1.500 migrants #ImageDuJourhttps://t.co/EYRnSGbn8Bpic.twitter.com/PgEDASylpg
— France Info (@franceinfo) February 22, 2016
Aid organisations counter that over 3,000 people live in the area due for demolition, 423 of them unaccompanied children.
The target for the bulldozers, the southern part of the jungle, is the cultural heart of the camp as Sikender from Afghanistan explains:
“There are more that 3,000 people living here, they have a mosque here, schools here, everything inside the jungle. So it’s become like a small city and they’re going to finish it, you know, and people did a lot of work here.”
Calais 'Jungle' eviction postponed after charity discovers hundreds of lone children https://t.co/RjFlesbuuEpic.twitter.com/aFHx30fkLM
— The Independent (@Independent) February 22, 2016
It is concern for the children that prompted the court to postpone a decision.
The tribunal in Lille will issue a ruling in 48 hours.