Summers here kids!
Introduction
In one day there will be only very few few No Borders people remaining in Calais, and most of them are also here with other groups or activities other than CMS. If you already know that you are coming during the summer please send an email so we can plan better our vacations and plans for the summer.
This is a small list of activities we think would be useful over the coming months according to the current situation here. We want to propose these ideas to encourage people to come with an idea of a project to do and also so No Borders people arriving in Calais have some idea of the situation.
A lot of the ideas of project have come from seeing long term what could potentially help but sadly not having the time or energy as things are. However, if some activists wish to come with a one project / task in mind it is a good way to see something completed.
We have not done so much humanitarian activities (distributions etc) recently. Be aware that the garage is finished (need still to be clean to be given back). There is no proper lock/door so things have disappeared and the garage is regulary trashed. Calais Humanite et Ouverture has a place to store things, so it is possible to get in contact with them.
IF YOU PLAN TO BRING SOMETHING TO CALAIS PLEASE PLAN ALSO TO DISTRIBUTE IT (or arrange to give it to an other association)
A new wall has been built along the road around the Jules Ferry jungle blocking access to the highway were the trucks go to the port and creating a prison around the jungle. Last december the wall near the port fell down because of the wind. They are finshing the other side juste right know.
The current office is small, there is a working space and a medium sized room only for woman and trans-woman. Please be as autonomous as possible.
Humanitarian help
Calais has right now a humanitarian crisis. People don't get enough to eat. There are no more tents to be distributed. There are just two water points for people. The water point is very far for many people. There is a big problem of water at Leader Price (old Sudanese jungle). There is not enough food. Scabies is back. There is not enough capacity of medical care.
Jungle legal things
How to prevent police coming to the jungle? What kind of legal issues would prevent that and what practicalities that would include? Have look of information about the roma land occupations «how to» by GISTI.
Social media
«how to get away from the stone age»? twitter etc. A Consultant? Someone to be responsible for the twitter, so we could send messages for that person? Does not have to be in Calais to do twitter. To use twitter same way as daily report book now? « daily repression in calais » «daily life in calais»… etc. This need advertisement to start, possible to come to Calais and do this (advertisement) as a project for even short time.
Facebook thing too? FB could be parallel to twitter and same person could update both.
What to put there?
Police violence, associations, mayor, governement
Not good to write other peoples' stories without permission.
Video editing
Find a way to edit videos and blur faces effectively? Bring your good computers with you?Computers with maybe 8gb + memory?
Women's situation in calais and support
There is approximately 100 women in the jules ferry centre house. Last week they close the door around the house, so people living there could not come and go as they want. There is as much women outside the center, living in the jungle around it. There is not enough space in the house for everyone. The women outside dont have access to showers, toilets and food, to get food they need to que with men. Both women inside and outside are scared to walk in the jungle because there is almost 3500 men living there. To go to try women have to walk 2 hours. They are scared to sleep at leader price jungle because they are afraid to be sexually assualted.
Ideas about what to do?
Find houses for groups of women who want to find one.
Get in contact with women in the jungle.
Go with them when they go to try. *if you are a women. Truck drivers are sometimes nicer if there is no men.
Drive women to try.
Find a way to denounce the women's conditions/situation at the Jules Ferry.
Find out and support things about contraception and abortation. There is a group working with planning familial in Lens, possible to contact them.
There is a group of Calaisians who build lockable houses in the jungle. A nurse who spends lot of time in the jungle manages the keys.
Controls in Calais
Activists
Lot of controls for vehicles. Fines for every small things and bigger too. BE CAREFUL WITH THE NOBORDER VAN. Not controls for the activists in the city center. Sometimes controls at the train station. Controls when doing copwatch, sometimes arrestation, breaking cameras.
People in transit
Changes all the time. Sometimes in city center and sometimes not, sometimes at living spaces sometimes not. Controls at train station. Sometimes controlling when people arrive from Paris. Police sometimes does not let people use the train. Sometimes controls at the road(s) leading to Jules Ferry. Sometimes controls at the way from Jules Ferry to the Eurotunnel. Sometimes controls at the road next to the port. A police car stays always at the port at the foot passengers entrance.
Detention centre
In Coquelles there is mainly people from Albania that are deported to Albania, Afghan people to be deported everywhere in Europe, and everybody who are deported to Italy. Recently there have been attempts to deport people straight to Sudan,Afghanistan. No direct deportations for other countries of origin. During this year we have been really bad of following people inside the detention center and what happens there or doing public action outside. They started to use the small airport in Marck to deport people.
Copwatch
The places copwatch has been done have mainly been the highways leading to Eurotunnel and to the port during traffic jams. Police have been trying to prevent doing it by chasing, harrassing and arresting people and taking/destroying the cameras. It is still possible to do. Some videos have been published, one with big media attention afterwards. A complain to the defender of rights has been made.
Ideas what to do?
Find more effective ways to use the footage.
FIND WAYS TO BLUR THE FACES IN THE VIDEOS so they can be published with short time after filming them.
Get cameras with longer zoom?
The wall
A new wall has been built along the road around the Jules Ferry jungle blocking access to the highway were the trucks go to the port and creating a prison around the jungle.
Descriptions of the wall. Two different walls. First one 2,5m with barbwire. 1,50 meter wall gap between two walls. Second wall is 4 meter secure against cutting with sensor detector. There will be another wall down the hill. There is cameras watching the walls everywhere, for example in the traffic signs and in one post next to the highway. Possible to make exact map for the cameras at the wall? At the end they plan to have 10 kilometer long wall along the highway. Last december the wall fell down because of the wind. Christmas miracle!
They finished one side of he highways and are bulding the other side right now.
It's seems that it could be nobody to spend time with you and introduce you to the knew place, so be prepared and autonomous.
Have a wonderfull summer kids !