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| NOI & BARAC delegation to Calais |
On 19th September 2015, a group of
representatives from Black Activists Rising Against Cuts and the Nation of
Islam including Colin Muhammad, senior representative of the NOI, Zita
Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK and Donna Guthrie, National Women’s
Officer, BARAC UK, visited the so called
‘refugee camp’ in Calais, France to take aid, solidarity and join the
International demo called by L’auberge Des Migrants; Refugees Welcome.
Participants at the demo were asked to bring gifts, in
particular rain coats and personal cards / letters and to give these to those
in the ‘camp’ and promote the event during the day on social networking using
the hashtag #makeitpersonal.
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| Embracing a Sister from Ethiopia |
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| Young Sudanese men |
When we went through French passport control our passports
were taken, the window was shut on us and the official did not engage with us.
We sat for what seemed an eternity watching all the cars either side of us sail
through, their passports glimpsed at for a second or two. When the window
eventually opened we were scrutinised one by one and asked to identify
ourselves. No apology or explanation was given for the delay.
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| Representatives from Convoys 2 Calais, BARAC UK & Nation of Islam |
On arrival our group of 8 visited a warehouse to take our
donations of clothes, tents, sleeping bags, coats, toiletries and food. There were many different groups there who
had travelled from different parts of the UK doing the same. We met there with
BARAC’s newly partnered organisation London2Calais part of Convoys2Calais who
are taking aid to Calais twice a month.
BARAC will be part of the convoys going forward.
After sorting our donations we went to the ‘camp’ which is
known as ‘The Jungle’. On our way there we stopped at a garage and shop to use
the facilities there. A French woman
parked her car near to us and we greeted her and smiled. She gave us a bad look
and told us in French that immigrants are a problem and not welcome there and
were not allowed in the shop. At first I thought she must be the owner of the
shop but she was a customer telling us that we were ‘unwelcome immigrants who
were a problem and banned from the shop’. I shouted after her that she was ‘raciste’.
We spent a few hours walking around, talking with people
and listening to their stories and gave out the gifts of coats, toiletries,
toys, books and 200 rain ponchos donated by my union, PCS plus other items and
handmade cards, shared our lunch, snacks and drinks and listened to heart
breaking story after story but were uplifted by the strength, determination and
hope of those there.
What was clear immediately is that the place near to the
ferry terminal that people are staying is not a refugee camp, it is a shanty
town created by these forced to stay there, in limbo, using the limited
resources available to them.
As we drove towards the ‘camp’ we noticed the make shift
shelters and tents set up in corners around the town and along the road towards
it, as more and more people make the journey to France in the hope of making it
to the UK and having a chance of starting their lives anew after escaping
persecution, poverty, war and other horrific circumstances.
Along the way we met with some young men from Sudan who
were carrying firewood – to obtain it they have to walk for miles – firewood they
told us was important as they needed it for fuel and heat.
Inside the main area that people are staying it was crowded
and muddy with uneven surfaces. At the
entrance was a bank of 11 portable toilets, for the estimated 4000 people there
are 30 toilets in total. Water is
obtained from pipes which are away from the toilets and there are no showers,
washing or bathing facilities. People have to fill bottles with water from the
piping to use.
Caked into the muddy ground was discarded clothing and
rubbish as there are no facilities for placing rubbish.
I asked some people staying there if the French authorities
came to clean and empty the toilets and take the rubbish away and they said no.
I asked a group of young women from Eritrea what they did
to bathe and wash their hair and if they had access to feminine hygiene
products. They said that if they wanted a shower, this was only available sometimes
at Secours Catholique in Calais Town. To get there they had to walk for two to
three hours as there was no public transport, they had none of their own and
had no ability to earn money to afford a cab.
Otherwise they just had to fill up bottles with water and use that to
wash and bathe.
The ‘camp’ is divided into separate country areas so
different communities live together in different areas. While we were there we observed a queue of
people in front of van that had situated itself in the middle of the camp.
People were coming away with random items, one had a box of cornflakes, the
next a piece of clothing, the next a hat and so on. We could see that some of the people were
looking bemusedly at the odd pieces of clothing and food they had been handed
and it started to explain the large number of rags and clothes embedded in the
muddy ground as people were being given items that were not useful or practical
as well-meaning people have donated their unwanted items without necessarily
considering what is most needed and practical.
Amongst the items in the mud were ‘going out’ dresses and high heeled
shoes which don’t keep out the cold and aren’t designed to walk around a muddy
area.
We met people from Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria, Iran,
Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and many other countries, as we spoke with
individuals and groups of people from different African countries including
Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia we learned that there were divisions and unequal
access to essential items and unequal treatment of those from African countries
in the ‘camp’. Amongst our group were
fellow country people and between us we spoke a number of languages so we were
able to overcome some communication /language barriers and took the time to hear their stories and
experiences in detail.
We were told that 60% of the people there were from Sudan
but that people from other communities were coming to the ‘camp’ bringing
essential items and provisions for others and saying that the items were only
for those from that country and they are then offered the left overs that they
don’t want. Others groups have been
provided with cooking stoves and building materials and equipment in order to
build small businesses to bring some money in. All around the ‘camp’ were small
businesses - shops and cafes but not everyone there can afford to purchase
items and have to rely on donations but they also told us that they face
hostility from some of the businesses and are not welcomed.
They said that the charities on the ground were very good
at distributing items to everyone but that because of language barriers, if you
don’t speak the language of the people doing the distribution you don’t
understand what they are calling out – i.e. tents, blankets etc. and those that
do speak the language get in first and they are too late or get the left
overs. Also food distributed does not
cater for cultural / traditional needs, a bag of cornmeal flour or ground rice
for example would be more welcomed and last longer than a box of cornflakes and
would allow them to cook traditional foods. Traditional spices and dried fish
would be welcomed also and the latter is as long lasting as tinned fish that is
being distributed.
I will post a fuller list of the items needed later on but
some of the items they asked for were:
A cooking stove so they don’t have to walk for miles to
collect fire wood to cook on.
Cooking utensils.
Sacks/ bags of cornmeal flour, ground rice and other
traditional food items.
Warm clothing for the winter such as coats, woollen hats, thermal
underwear and other thermal items.
Waterproof items and inflatable mattresses so they don’t
have to sleep on the ground.
We met lots of women from the African continent but we had
been told in the 2-3 weeks leading up to our visit not to collect women’s
clothing as there were not many women in the camp and the charities sorting the
clothes had enough women’s clothing but the women we spoke to did need items,
especially warm clothing and practical footwear and outer clothing to equip
them to cope with the wet and cold season ahead. Also feminine hygiene items are needed as
although there are some donated they don’t always have enough. They also need
African hair products.
Some had tents but others just make shift structures made
with branches and plastic sheeting. They said that neither kept them dry when
it rained.
Some of the gifts we took were packs of cards, balls and
books and these were very popular, some groups we met only had one or two
people who read in English but they said they would read the books and
translate them as they went along so their friends could enjoy them too.
Spending days and months there mean that people need things
to occupy their time and take their minds, if even temporarily from the
horrible situation they are in so our experience is that also items to pass the
time and share knowledge would be appreciated, not just for children but for
adults.
We also learned that bicycles and trollies were very
valuable – the ‘camp’ area is so far away from the town, shops and facilities
that it takes hours to walk anywhere.
There is a library in the ‘camp’ which needs books in a
variety of different languages plus a school.
Many of the people we met were young, in their late teens
and twenties.
During the day there were many tears shed as we embraced
and encouraged our sisters and brothers there to keep strong. It was
emotionally draining to see so many people in distress and hear so many tragic
stories but we have to focus on the fact that they were also stories of hope
and courage.
One young woman from Eritrea I spoke to told me that her
parents and child had died, another that she had not seen her daughter for ten
years.
One man on crutches told me that he had broken his leg
trying to get on top of a train to the UK and had spent 20 days in hospital but
then released and had no other option but to go back to the camp.
A man told me that he spoke 6 languages and if I needed advice
or information about anything in the camp he was there to help.
As we visited the Eritrean area a woman with a megaphone
was shouting; ‘We Are Human! We Are Not Animals!’.
People embraced us as we did them and even though they have
nothing they invited us to eat with them and hear their stories – for some this
was the first time anyone had taken the time to listen.
Some of our group stayed at the camp to speak and eat with
the Sudanese people there and some of us joined the march out of the camp to
the ferry terminal – we were joined by a large number from the camp. They were upbeat and determined but
understandably and quite rightly upset about the way they were being treated.
There were lots of people on the march from the UK but far
fewer French, I met a couple of Dutch women who had come by themselves to give
solidarity but from the UK there were several organised groups who also brought
aid.
Our partner organisation Convoys 2 Calais organised a coach
to take people to the demo which around 45 people joined.
As we approached the foot passenger entrance to the ferry
terminal some men expressed to us their frustration on seeing two passengers
that they could not go too. We also saw
a few men walking along the track.
At the end of the march there was a rally with speakers and
again we heard the words uttered ‘we are human, not animals, freedom, freedom,
freedom’.
Other activities were a giant mural that everyone could
contribute to. I painted a tribute to all the sisters I had met during the day
in solidarity. There was a one minute silent die –in, in memory of all those who
have lost their lives on their journey to freedom.
I carried a homemade placard which had a painting I did of
a boat packed with people with the caption ‘Refugees are welcome, Racism is not
welcome’. People told me that this image
was very important to them as many of them had travelled there by boat across
the Mediterranean Sea. One man said he had travelled on a small boat with 350
people and it had been a frightening and perilous journey.
People filled in large cards with messages to the UK
government, about themselves and their story and people signed a solidarity
agreement.
We were the last people left at the demo, taking the time
to sit, share food and talk to people and as we were about to leave, half of
our group who had gone to get our mini bus saw the woman we had seen earlier
with a megaphone leading a group of 70 African women on a march out of the camp
and down the road. By this time the march and the demo were well over. Police
attacked them and told them that they had to return to the ‘camp’ and were not
permitted to march on the road – the women argued back that they were going to
asset their rights to express themselves and march. They carried signs saying ‘Where
is our right?’ they chanted ‘we are human beings, where is our right? We are
educated black women’. The police
threatened to set riot police on them and as they started to arrive the
brothers in our group intervened and stopped the police from attacking
them.
watch the powerful video of them marching below:
video courtesy of Colin Muhammed, National of Islam
watch the powerful video of them marching below:
The image of these strong African women marching for
humanity, demanding rights and reminding the world that they matter was not
captured by the media, will not be seen on the news but it is an image that
makes me feel empowered.
On our return journey we were asked at Passport Control
what we had been doing in Calais and if the people in our mini bus now were the
same people that had been in our mini bus on the outward journey!
We need to tell the stories of those in the Calais shanty town
and we need to show our humanity by supporting them, bringing solidarity and the
practical things they need whilst living on the edge of survival.
But the reality is that ‘The Jungle’ should not exist,
those who find themselves at the end of a long and dangerous journey after
escaping persecution, poverty and war should not be left in limbo hoping that
one day their lives may begin again. The truth is that the 4000 there is
growing daily and will continue to grow, no fences, barriers, demonisation, scaremongering
or scapegoating by politicians, the mainstream media or the far right will
prevent people coming or risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea to
reach Europe, because for them, there is no choice, risking the dangers of
getting here, is safer than staying where they were.
Over the past few months we have heard refugees and
migrants referred to us economic migrants, benefit tourist and even worse
deemed to be non- humans marauding swarms of cockroaches and animals. It is a shame and stain on the human race to
treat their fellow human beings in this way.
Our role must also be to dispel the myths and lies, to
lobby the government to grant asylum to those in Calais and to campaign for
equality, freedom and justice for all. It’s not enough to be against injustice
we must act to achieve it too.
BARAC is part of Convoys 2 Calais and we will be taking
cars with food and essential items to Calais on the 2nd of October. Information can be accessed here: www.convoys2calais.com.
We have also invited the new shadow chancellor John
McDonnell to come on a future visit, which he has agreed to do. It’s important
for politicians to see first-hand the conditions people in Calais and wider are
forced to live.
You can donate here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/london2calais-october-refugee-solidarity-convoy#/story
BARAC has signed the solidarity agreement that was launched
at the demo yesterday which you can sign here:
Earlier this week at the Trades Union Congress,
the following statement was passed:
It commits the TUC General Council to:
Congress commits the General
Council to campaign for Government policy to:
i.
recognise that
the UK must play a full role in supporting refugees and fulfil its moral and
legal obligations to significantly upscale its resettlement programme
ii.
participate fully in a continent-wide response to the refugee crisis
iii.
make welcome tens of thousands of refugees whether from camps in the Middle
East or already in Europe
iv. fully fund refugee resettlement, avoiding the
exploitation of refugees and avoiding extra pressure on poorer inner-city
communities, whilst ensuring that the international development budget is only
used in line with OECD guidelines on official development assistance.
If you can sponsor or provide a vehicle on the convoys,
can donate items or fundraise please get in touch barac.info@gmail.com.
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