France: Court delays 'jungle' demolition

A French court has delayed a decision on whether to demolish part of the Calais migrant camp known as the jungle.

Authorities had issued an eviction order due to come into force at 8pm CET Tuesday evening. However, a lawsuit issued by 10 humanitarian agencies and 238 migrants claimed the eviction would constitute ‘‘a violation of fundamental human rights.’‘

Sikender is a refugee from Afghanistan. He outlined how much they have managed to build a society in the jungle that is yet to be demolished.

“There are more than 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,” he said.

The French government has erected a container camp to rehouse between 800 and 1,000 people. Aid organisations counter that over 3,000 people live in the area due for demolition, 423 of them unaccompanied children. It is the concern for the children that prompted the court to postpone the decision.