Far-right association ‘My town without migrants' created in France
After the French Government announced to close down the Calais Jungle camp and send 12,000 migrants to various towns across France, French mayors from the far-right Front National (FN) has united against the possible flow of migrants into their towns, fearing of becoming new jungle camps.
In a bid to stop all migrants entering French towns, Steeve Briois, one of vice-presidents of FN and the mayor of Hénin-Beaumont has created an association called 'My town without migrants' while urging all French mayors to join the association, British daily The Express reported on Friday.
"The Government has decided to displace the migrants from Calais to towns and villages across France without any thought about what the mayors or the population think," Briois said. "The association is for the 36,000 mayors of France regardless of their political affiliation. Opposition to the invasion of migrants has become a problem that transcends party lines," he added, stressing that he will not let migrant towns like Calais to be created across France.
As part of anti-migrant move in France, a French village with only 2,500 residents protested against the rehousing of 50 migrants nearby as they call for a referendum to kick them out, showing the growing intolerance in the country. Refugees are still seen as a burden in societies like France, particularly in the small village of Allex, in the south-western province of Rhone-Alpes as many traditionally far-right leaning French towns have felt threatened by migrants whom they consider as a potential threat to French local culture and traditions. The village is ready to hold their own referendum on housing migrants on Oct. 2, while the villagers have urged all French towns across the country to hold a referendum.
The French government announced the redistribution of recently arrived refugees across the country on Sept. 5 and some 50 migrants arrived on Sept. 15 at Château de Pergaud, in the village of Allex, which has a population of around 2,500. Their arrival sparked protests in the small village and they accused the government of being "heavy-handed." Many villagers claimed their village could become "lawless" like Calais.
Francois Hollande's government promised to dismantle the Calais camp by the end of the year and resettle migrants in small centers across France to examine their situations on a case-by-case basis. That plan has prompted vehement protests from many local conservative and far-right politicians, saying they fear the consequences of the presence of migrants in their towns.
The number of migrants living in the "jungle" reached as many as 10,000 this month according to aid groups operating in the camp, compared to 7,000 according to a count by French authorities in August.
After weeks of preparation, workers have begun building a 4-meter (13-foot) high wall in northern France to try to keep migrants from sneaking onto ferries crossing the English Channel. Critics of the wall note that France plans to dismantle the makeshift camp by the time the wall is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
An 18-hectare wasteland in the French port city was turned into a camp in April 2015. Hundreds of migrants were relocated by French authorities where there is no access to basic services. Most migrants coming from the eastern African countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan and war-torn Syria intend to cross the English Channel and seek asylum in the U.K. As only a small number of refugees are eligible to enter European countries, the ones that can find shelter suffer from worsening humanitarian conditions in refugee camps.
In a bid to stop all migrants entering French towns, Steeve Briois, one of vice-presidents of FN and the mayor of Hénin-Beaumont has created an association called 'My town without migrants' while urging all French mayors to join the association, British daily The Express reported on Friday.
"The Government has decided to displace the migrants from Calais to towns and villages across France without any thought about what the mayors or the population think," Briois said. "The association is for the 36,000 mayors of France regardless of their political affiliation. Opposition to the invasion of migrants has become a problem that transcends party lines," he added, stressing that he will not let migrant towns like Calais to be created across France.
As part of anti-migrant move in France, a French village with only 2,500 residents protested against the rehousing of 50 migrants nearby as they call for a referendum to kick them out, showing the growing intolerance in the country. Refugees are still seen as a burden in societies like France, particularly in the small village of Allex, in the south-western province of Rhone-Alpes as many traditionally far-right leaning French towns have felt threatened by migrants whom they consider as a potential threat to French local culture and traditions. The village is ready to hold their own referendum on housing migrants on Oct. 2, while the villagers have urged all French towns across the country to hold a referendum.
The French government announced the redistribution of recently arrived refugees across the country on Sept. 5 and some 50 migrants arrived on Sept. 15 at Château de Pergaud, in the village of Allex, which has a population of around 2,500. Their arrival sparked protests in the small village and they accused the government of being "heavy-handed." Many villagers claimed their village could become "lawless" like Calais.
Francois Hollande's government promised to dismantle the Calais camp by the end of the year and resettle migrants in small centers across France to examine their situations on a case-by-case basis. That plan has prompted vehement protests from many local conservative and far-right politicians, saying they fear the consequences of the presence of migrants in their towns.
The number of migrants living in the "jungle" reached as many as 10,000 this month according to aid groups operating in the camp, compared to 7,000 according to a count by French authorities in August.
After weeks of preparation, workers have begun building a 4-meter (13-foot) high wall in northern France to try to keep migrants from sneaking onto ferries crossing the English Channel. Critics of the wall note that France plans to dismantle the makeshift camp by the time the wall is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
An 18-hectare wasteland in the French port city was turned into a camp in April 2015. Hundreds of migrants were relocated by French authorities where there is no access to basic services. Most migrants coming from the eastern African countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan and war-torn Syria intend to cross the English Channel and seek asylum in the U.K. As only a small number of refugees are eligible to enter European countries, the ones that can find shelter suffer from worsening humanitarian conditions in refugee camps.