The Calais Jungle – the place where refugees and migrants trying to cross the Channel to the UK end up. We’ve all heard of it, and conditions there for the inhabitants are every bit as bad as you had supposed.
Two young charity workers came to speak to our meeting about their work there. They charted the camp’s fluctuating fortunes, from an official area in an ex-landfill site which had expanded to 7,000 people by 2016 – when it was bulldozed, the inhabitants taken elsewhere and their belongings thrown out.
Since then, many smaller camps have grown up in the area, but constantly harried by the police: people are moved on, their belongings confiscated, charity workers and NGOs discouraged. There is no security. Periodically there are larger evictions, with people bussed away to other parts of France. The aim is to create a hostile environment, where any sense of security is undermined.
The living conditions are horrendous; people die; covid is a big problem. Yet people stick it out, and more come. Why? Look at Syria, look at conflict in Afghanistan and elsewhere – people are displaced and flee to what they hope will be a better life.
In other business we heard about Nazanin in Iran – still waiting for a decision from yet another court appearance after her original sentence had been served. International Women’s Day was marked by an online panel discussion by three female Polish human rights defenders; there has been a worrying rise of the far right in Poland. The discussion was introduced by Kate Allen, AIUK’s Director.
There are signs that Amnesty’s de facto suspension in India may be unblocked; moves are being made to unfreeze AI’s bank accounts there, and there is possibly some movement in the cases of the imprisoned BK 16 men, victims it seems of India’s growing ‘electoral autocracy’.
Combining with another Group to work for prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa were discussed. Discussion of Amnesty’s position on Russian Alexei Navalny had to be deferred to another day.
Our next online meeting is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13 April, and will include a talk on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan. All welcome – email amnestytaunton@gmail.com for details.
Amnesty International Taunton Local Group 
Comment on this post