Iran Press/Europe: Based on a report published by four human right group - L'Auberge des Migrants, Refugee Info Bus, Utopia 56, Legal Shelter – and collected by aid workers who formed a human rights monitoring team, 972 incidents were recorded over a period of a year indicating police brutalities against refugees in Calais.
One of the most serious allegations relates to January 25, 2018, when a 16-year-old Eritrean boy lost his eye, after French riot police fired tear gas into a crowd of refugees during an eviction of their sleeping area in Calais, Al Jazeera reported.
Organized and systematic human rights violation by French police
The report said that riot police fired "chemical agent grenades indiscriminately into a crowd of displaced people in attempt to disperse them."
The victim said that a rubber bullet gun was fired at him 10 to 15 meters away.
At least 124 reports of physical violence by police officers against refugees were made to volunteers.
One testimony from a 21-year-old Ethiopian male on October 29, 2018 says that he was beaten by police.
French riot police fired tear gas into a crowd of refugees during an eviction of their sleeping area in Calais on January 25
A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan, who had been sleeping on the streets, says that he was a victim of tear-gassing and beatings by French Law Enforcement.
One pregnant woman in April 2018 says she was prevented from returning to her tent to retrieve medication after an eviction.
Some refugees who were the subject of an eviction on September 6, 2018, in Dunkirk allege that they were cable tied and numbered.
A 27-year-old Kurdish man, who wishes to remain anonymous and who was the subject of a separate eviction on October 23, says that he was taken to a Dunkirk police station and had his name and number written on his arm.
"A number, just like an animal you know, just like [an] animal. All of the countries all over the world, they put this just on the animal's hand, why they put this?" he said.
Related News:
Refugees inhumane conditions in Calais
There are currently 1,500 refugees living across Calais and Dunkirk including 100 unaccompanied minors and 10 family units.
"Police forces are using inhumane methods to harass the displaced communities in northern France. In Calais, the violence that aid workers are seeing is unjustifiable and currently on the rise," said Charlotte Head, of the Human Rights Observers project, which was set up to monitor police brutality against refugees.
"Similar tactics are being used in Dunkirk with evictions taking place on an even larger scale," she told. "These people are seeking safety and their human rights are being violated by the very authorities that ought to be protecting them.
A refugee tent in Calais
The city of Calais, located near the French side of Channel Tunnel connecting France and the UK, has for years been home to hundreds of migrants trying to cross the border.
The migrant camp in Calais was dismantled in 2016 because of the horrible living conditions there.
Refugees tent on fire
Even though the camp was dismantled, asylum seekers and refugees still arrive to the city and are forced to stay on French soil with no proper refuge or sanitary conditions. Moreover, human rights organizations have uncovered malicious practices exhibited by the local police, who abuse migrants or use tear gas on them. 205/101
Related News:
1,500 refugees have died in Mediterranean this year: UN
Trump attacks Angela Merkel for providing sanctuary for refugees
French police evacuate two more refugee camps in Paris
