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Escape fro Sangatte
Page 10
Page 11
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• Incredible though it may seem, the French courts have now twice decided that the existence of the Sangatte refugee centre does not add to the problem of asylum seekers trying to gain illegal access into Britain—despite the fact that the centre is located just 2km from Eurotunnel's CoqueIles terminal and that its inhabitants make daily and well-publicised attempts to get aboard vehicles travelling through the tunnel or into the tunnel itself.
The site, originally built as a warehouse to serve construction of the tunnel, was established as a refugee centre in late 1999 at the request of the French ministry of the interior to accommodate the numerous refugees already wandering the streets of Calais and the nearby village of Sangatte in the hope of smuggling themselves into Britain. Its mission, the French Red Cross is at pains to point out, is exclusively humanitarian: to accommodate, feed and care for refugees in the area. But British hauliers, ferry and train operators and Eurotunnel itself all see it as little more than a forward base for those seeking illegal entry into Britain.
Of all the voices clamouring for the centre to be closed or relocated, none is louder than Eurotunnel itself.
Humanitarian need
'We've always recognised the humanitarian need but it clearly doesn't help that Sangatte is so close to the tunnel." says Eurotunnel spokesman Kevin Charles. "People are getting caught, sent back and returning the same night in some cases. If it was 70 miles away, they wouldn't be able to do that."
Exactly how far away the centre should be, he says, is a matter for governments and the Red Cross, But, he adds: it is presently far too close and makes it far too easy for them."
For evidence, Charles quotes the number of refugees caught trying to smuggle themselves into the tunnel: 'Last year we stopped 54,000 people in France. Sangatte is where the huge majority come from and that's why we've asked for it to be closed down."
He goes so far as to suggest that people-smugglers have set up camp there alongside the refugees: it's been infiltrated by criminals using it as a base— there's evidence for this from the French authorities, who have made some arrests, though not many. It's widely known. They're even offering advice on cutting fences and so on—in one of the latest incidents someone had clearly been given inside information on how to cut the brakes on a freight train, for instance."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the French Red Cross takes a different view about things. "The Red Cross here has no political stance about the location of the centre." a spokeswoman says. "We're just doing what we've been asked to do by the French government and our mis
sion is strictly humanitarian."
She denies any knowledge of criminal elements at Sangatte but agrees that security at the site is negligible, with refugees free to come and go as they please. "What exactly do you want us to do when our mission is humanitarian?" she asks. "We put up signs everywhere warning them of the dangers of trying to smuggle themselves into Britain, but at the end of the day a humanitarian mission is just that. We give them three meals a day and a bed for the night. The rest is up to the politicians."
In any case, moving the centre further from the tunnel would be pointless, she says: "What these people want is to get to Britain, so all it would mean is that the streets of Calais would be full. You could move the centre tomorrow—but you can't move the tunnel itself and this is the basic problem." Recognising the attraction o the tunnel, Eurotunnel has seen more than £5m in the past it months to improve securitt around the Coquelles site, ever retaining the services of a mill tary consultant for advice. It's ii recognition of this effort tha the Home Office recent': included it among the compa flies now exempted from fine: for illegal immigrants.
Repeated infiltration
But the physical inconvenienci of repeated infiltration b: refugees remains—along witl the deaths and injuries that mu tinely result.
And none of this, of coursE comes as any relief to haulier travelling to and from Britair who are all routinely raced wit a continuing threat to good: vehicles and drivers, as well a the worry of outstanding fine (see lead story, page 6). Joe McNeill, director of 3oldfinch Transport, says >angale should definitely be Josed down, even if it doesn't iolve the whole problem of asyurn seekers: It's a bad deci;ion. Where that centre is, it's ike a red rag to a bull. They're ust placing temptation in front A then' because they can see he 22 miles across the Channel o what they're looking for."
lerve wracking
lone of his vehicles has had any iroblems so far, he says, but it's still a nerve wracking expeience for our drivers".
Brian Yeardley of Brian 'eardley Continental, a frewent tunnel user who could till face fines of £32,000 for ieing found with illegal immirants in his truck, says: "It oould nave been better to close ie Sangatte centre and move it bout 290 miles away. You have 3 have sympathy with the efugees, but instead of sticking iem in there they should move lem a lot further inland."
And Mike Beer of Mike Beer ransport, who says his dnvers have thrown "hundreds" of asylum seekers off their vehicles but has nonetheless racked up fines totalling £26,000, says: "It's a great shame that Sangatte wasn't closed down. It's fairly obvious that the French authorities just aren't prepared to help sort out the problem because they don't want the immigrants to stay there."
Whatever the effect or immigrant numbers in the area. he thinks Sangatte must still be closed. "It just makes it so much easier for them, being Mere," he points out.
Eurotunnel agrees, and Kevin Charles says the fight isn't over yet: "Eurotunnel will continue to press the French government for the closure of the centre. It is plain for everyone to see that the proxim ity of this site to both the Channel Tunnel and the Port of Calais is an open invitation to those seeking to enter the UK illegally."