French authorities planning to bulldoze half of the Jungle refugee camp in Calais

Plans to bulldoze nearly half the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais, including a church and medical and food centres, has been condemned by Catholic Charity, Seeking Sanctuary.

French authorities announced the clearance of the ‘Southern Zone’, accounting for 70 per cent of the habitable part of the make-shift camp, last week.

An Eritrean church, three mosques, a new youth centre, school, women’s centre, community kitchen serving 2,000 hot meals daily, aid distribution points, a vaccination centre credited with containing an outbreak of measles in the camp and many homes are due to be demolished.   

In a statement, the French government estimates 800 to 1,000 refugees will be affected by the clearance of seven-hectares of the camp, which they state will take place "within a week".

However aid workers have estimated that the actual figure is twice this amount, claiming instead that around 2,000 people will be affected.

Seeking Sanctuary, who provide humanitarian assistance to refugees in partnership with aid agencies such as Secours Catholique, have described the clearance as “an inhumane and clumsy measure, taking place in the bleakest of winter weather.”

"We can expect panic as the time for the clearance approaches and temperatures remain below freezing," the charity's founder, Ben Bano, has said.  

Around 5,000 people are estimated to be living, largely in squalid conditions, within the Jungle. Fabienne Buccio, prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region told Le Monde she and her staff intended to reduce the camp by half.  

"I think it's our duty to bring this camp down to 2,000 people living in an organised and dignified camp. That is an acceptable number for the local population," she said.

Buccio has said 750 places in a purpose-built facility created using converted shipping containers would be offered to those leaving the camp. Alternatively, they could be helped to leave and travel to other accommodation centres in France.

She said she aimed to get people to agree to move so they wouldn’t have to be forcibly evicted. Seeking Sanctuary believe that legal challenges will be made, slowing down the eviction process.

Refugees are reportedly suspicious of the government-sponsored accommodation, which requires palm prints to be taken to move in and out, fearing, by being tied to a specific location, their chances of being granted asylum in the UK will be impeded.