War at the borders: Jungle eviction starts in Calais; fences down and teargas in Idomeni
Wanneer: 29/02/2016 - 17:42
This morning in Idomeni, at the Greek/Macedonia border, some of the thousands of people stuck on the Greek side of the closed and fortified border began to pull down the thick razorwire fences. (TV footage here) The Macedonian police replied firing continuous rounds of teargas from the other side. Numbers have been building for days, as Macedonia and other Balkan states try to shut down the flow of people from Greece.
Meanwhile on the western edge of Fortress Europe, the eviction of the Calais jungle has started. Riot police have gathered around the camp in huge numbers, over 50 vans counted plus water cannon. Over the last few days officials have toured the jungle issuing warnings, after a court ruled on Thursday that all dwellings in the south zone could be cleared, while some social spaces including the schools, women’s centre, library, church and mosques, will supposedly be left for now. At the time of writing (11 AM), riot police are going in with flashball guns drawn in support of workers who are pulling down shacks with crowbars. Some people are sitting on the roofs of shacks refusing to budge.
Some photos below. For rapid updates through the day you can check twitter hashtags #calais and #idomeni.
For more detailed information see:
News from Idomeni and other Greek borders: livetickeridomeni also infomobile
News from Calais: calais migrant solidarity
Source: http://rabble.org.uk/war-at-the-borders-jungle-eviction-starts-in-calais...
Zie ook:
Call-out for international support against Calais evictions and against the borders: https://www.indymedia.nl/node/32161
At Idomeni, distributing food & info for the refugees: aiddeliverymission.org
Support them!
Today the French government began its threatened eviction of 3,500 people living in the south half of the Calais Jungle. They came in hard with 50 vans of CRS riot police, water cannon and tear gas, followed by a demolition crew with crowbars and bulldozers. By the end of the day, just a small part of the south zone was cleared, but the police will hope that this display of brute force convinces others to leave "voluntarily". They are expected to be back tomorrow to continue the eviction, which may last for weeks.
Will we just sit by and watch? Today people of the jungle braved the brutal force of the French state. Some occupied the rooftops of shacks, or fought back with stones against tear gas, rubber bullets, and truncheons. The least we can do is make a show of solidarity here in London, to show the people of the Jungle that they are not alone, and the French government that its brutality will not go unnoticed or unanswered.
We call for a demonstration tomorrow evening 7.30PM at the Institut Français, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT. Near the Science and Natural History museums, South Kensington tube.
The Institut Français is the "shop window" of the French government in London, where it showcases French cinema, cuisine, culture and business. It is open in the evenings with a bistro, films and other events held every night. We propose bringing banners, signs and messages to show that our thoughts are with the people of the jungle; and that the French government cannot get away with painting an image of "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" whilst sending in the CRS to destroy people's homes and lives.
Please spread far and wide.