French authorities were on Wednesday accused of using demolitions to force out refugees living in the Calais 'Jungle' camp.
At a court hearing in Lille, lawyer Norbert Clément argued that possible plans to demolish makeshift shops and restaurants in the camp were a way for the Calais prefecture to remove "anything that creates links" for residents.
The spaces are primarily used socially as a way for refugees to connect with one another, he said, according to French website La Voix du Nord. "When new people arrive at the camp, it is because of this this informal organisation that they can be welcomed, and find out where to find clothes, how to contact members of their community."
Clément warned that services and alternative accommodation provided by the French government were "saturated" and that refugee and volunteer-run cafés and restaurants in the camp were therefore vital.
A representative for the Calais prefecture, however, argued that they were causing "serious disturbances of public order", and sold goods illegally. According to French authorities, refugees, especially children, are exploited by the owners, who serve "rotten meat". The representative also said that volunteers had been assaulted.
Ahead of the hearing, campaigners had urged the French authorities not to demolish the restaurants and businesses in the Jungle. Among those at risk is the Jungle Books Kids' Café, which offers free meals and a safe space for the hundreds of unaccompanied children in the camp.
British teacher Mary Jones, who set up the café and a library by the same name, yesterday told Christian Today that it would be "criminal" to go ahead with the demolitions.
Children, especially the unaccompanied, have nowhere else to go in the evening, she said, and it provides a safe place for them to eat, learn French and English and access vital services such as legal advice.
Ahmad, a 16-year-old living in the camp, said volunteers at the kids' café had helped him to get in contact with his father. "It's an important place for children and teenagers to meet each other," he said. "It's a place where we can talk about our problems with each other. Outside [in the rest of the jungle] there are only big men. In here we are safe."
Another young man, 16-year-old Amir, added: "I come here to eat, to use the wifi and to meet friends, all in this specific place. Children in the Jungle can't do anything without this place. They come to play snooker with their friends. We have teachers who we study with here. This is like our home. We love Jungle Books."
In court today, the prefecture said that a centre for unaccompanied minors would open "very soon" in Calais, though activists have expressed scepticism online as to whether this will bear out in reality.
A decision about the proposed demolitions will be made by a judge on Friday.
