One of France's largest TV stations TF1 has just released a video composed of several clips from the work of Calais Migrant Solidarity (CMS). The police are shown pepper-spraying, being violent, abusive and unprofessional. This video combines several already high profile clips including the police playing loud music whilst raiding Africa House at night and the border police (PAF) punching an activist holding a video camera. A CMS activist talks to a radio interviewer about working on the ground in Calais and the use of video cameras in de-escalating violence towards migrants. A police spokesperson also attempts to claim that the police are highly professional whilst a clip of them playing football during a squat raid runs in the background.

The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain is calling for a demo at 1pm on Saturday 4th September outside the French Embassy (58 Knightsbridge) against the recent policies of the French Government, which have resulted in families with children as young as 2 weeks old being evicted with less than 30 minutes notice to gather their things and left homeless on the streets of France. Others have been packed onto planes with no choice and sent back to their home countries. Some of the Roma have lived in France all their lives. Others came from Romania or Bulgaria when they joined the EU in 2007. The French government is exploiting a loophole in EU legisaltion that expressly allows for restrictions on the right to move freely for reasons of public order, public security and public health.

The protests will be taking place simultaneously across Europe. See more about the demos in France here.

Blockade of the Lesquin Detention Centre in France during the Noborder Camp in Calais, June 2007.

Initiatives from France, the UK and Belgium organised the transnational Noborder Camp in Calais, France, a week of convergence, discussions and protest, which took place from 23-29th of June 2009, including a transnational demonstration for Freedom of Movement on June 27th 2009.

Transnational Demonstration (Photos): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Articles on Indymedia UK: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Articles on Lille Indymedia (en): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Radio Interview (10min, en)
Daily Camp Newspaper: June 23rd | June 24th
Microblogging: on identi.ca | NoBorders South Wales on Twitter
See also: Camp Info Website | Directions to the camp | Callout [en]| Video call out | Transnational demo in Calais | Travel Info | First aid call out | Breaking the Law of the Jungle (background article) | Repression against Refugees and Supporters in Northern France (again) | more articles

According to a report of "The Times" today, a joint Anglo-French detention centre is being planned for Calais to hold hundreds of migrants gathering near the Channel port.

As the report continues, "Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, disclosed proposals to tackle the surge of migrants, many from Afghanistan and Iraq, at Channel ports hoping for a new life in Britain. "

Camp No Border à Calais – Juin 2009

Invitation à une réunion d'organisation à Calais les 7 et 8 mars.

Ces derniers mois, des militants de France et du Royaume-Uni se sont
rencontrés pour discuter de quelle manière il serait possible de renforcer la solidarité transfrontalière avec les migrants le long de la côte Nord de la France. Nous avons décidé de monter un camp de protestation transnational à la fin du mois de juin à Calais. Le camp a pour but de mettre en lumière la situation des migrants à la frontière et d'établir un réseau de solidarité efficace.

Le camp s'organisera en collaboration avec les groupes et individus déjà actifs sur place et dans les environs. Nous appelons à une réunion d'organisation les 7 et 8 mars à Calais pour discuter des aspects pratiques et politiques du camp et de la mobilisation pour celui-ci. La réunion est ouverte à tous les individus et groupes qui apportent leur solidarité aux migrants et à leur lutte pour la liberté de circulation. Nous considérons que les contrôles migratoires sont au service des besoins du capitalisme et ne font qu'engendrer la souffrance et les divisions parmi nous. C'est pourquoi nous appelons à l'abolition de tous les contrôles migratoires : A
bas les frontières, A bas les nations!

Alors que l'Europe a renforcé le contrôle de ses frontières externes,
notamment en Afrique du Nord, la situation sur l'une de ses frontières
internes est souvent négligée. De nombreux réfugiés qui viennent en Europe continentale ont pour but d'atteindre le Royaume-Uni. Depuis un accord passé en 2002 entre les gouvernements français et britanniques qui a amené à la fermeture du centre de la Croix-Rouge de Sangatte/Calais, les migrants sont contraints de coucher à la dure dans la "jungle" qui se situe autour du port, où ils sont sujets à un harcèlement constant des autorités et courent le risque d'une rétention arbitraire et d'une déportation. Parallèlement, la
répression s'accentue contre les individus et les groupes qui soutiennent les migrants sur place. En repoussant la frontière britannique sur le territoire français, le gouvernement britannique a rendu les demandes d'asile au Royaume-Uni impossibles pour beaucoup de gens.

Le régime des frontières doit être compris dans son contexte politique et économique :

Nous pensons que la lutte pour l'égalité des droits pour les travailleurs immigrés et que la lutte contre le système européen d'asile et de rétention sont étroitement liés. Nous pensons également qu'il faut intensifier la co-opération transnationale entre les initiatives organisées des deux côtés de la frontière par ceux qui trouvent la situation actuelle insupportable.

Noborder Camp in Calais, June 2009

Invitation to an organising meeting in Calais, March 7th-8th

In the last few months activists from France and the UK have met to discuss ways to increase transnational solidarity with migrants along the coast of northern France. We have decided to hold a transnational protest camp in Calais at the end of June. The camp aims to highlight the situation of the migrants on the border and establish a strong network of solidarity.

The camp will work in conjunction with those groups and individuals already active in the area. We are calling for an organising meeting on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th March in Calais to discuss the political and practical aspects of the camp and its mobilisation. The meeting is open to any individuals or groups who act in solidarity with migrants and their struggle for freedom of movement. We see migration controls as serving the needs of capitalism whilst causing only suffering and divisions amongst us. Therefore we call for the abolition of all migration controls: No Borders, No Nations!

While Europe has tightened its external border controls, especially with Northern Africa, one of its internal borders is often overseen. Many refugees who come to continental Europe aim to reach the UK. Following an agreement between the French and British governments in 2002 which led to the closure of the Red Cross centre in Sangatte/Calais, people are forced to sleep rough in the "jungle" around the harbour, where they are subject to constant harassment by authorities, and are at risk of arbitrary detention and deportation. Meanwhile there is increasing repression against those
individuals and groups in the area who offer support to the migrants. By pushing the UK border onto French territory, the British government has made it impossible for many people to claim asylum in the UK.

The border regime must be understood in its political and economic context:

We think that the struggle for equal rights for migrant workers and the struggle against the European detention and asylum system are closely connected. We also believe that we need to intensify the transnational co-operation between initiatives made by people on both sides of the border who find the current situation unbearable.