Young Calais migrants pray in 'Jungle' church before demolition
Reuters
Published Oct 30, 2016 04:35PM ET
Young Calais migrants pray in 'Jungle' church before demolition
PARIS (Reuters) - Dozens of young Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants gathered on Sunday at a makeshift Orthodox church in the Calais "Jungle" camp, one of the only places still standing in the area, to attend a last service before the demolition is completed.
Bulldozers are flattening the sprawl of ramshackle huts and tents in northern France which had been home to 6,000 refugees and migrants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa hoping to cross the English Channel and start new lives in Britain.
Calais resident Pascal Froehly, who works for Caritas France charity, said he would like to see the church survive the "Jungle" demolition.
"It has been built quite solidly ... it's an opportunity to recognize the knowledge and ingenuity of the refugees, among other things," he said, adding it was "a kind of reminder of what happened here, of the joy and suffering".
It took migrants and volunteers about two months to build the church, which is made mostly of wood, and was completed in July 2015. French authorities said it would be destroyed, like the rest of the camp, but did not say when.
Most adults have now been bussed to reception centers across France pending examination of their cases, in a dismantling of the camp which started on Monday.
But the plight of hundreds of minors, nearly 1,500 of whom are now in temporary lodging in container-boxes in Calais, has become a point of dispute between Britain and France.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.