Tonight:
9°c
The phone rang early in the morning. It was Sarah, a food entrepreneur and Tory loyalist who claims I am her only Leftie friend. We rarely have agreeable chats and can clear restaurants with our noisy political arguments.
This time, astonishingly, she came over all bleeding heart: “It can't be right, what the bloody French are doing to the jungle in Calais. There are children there. I can't bear to see them, the poor people, where will they go? Why aren't you kicking up about it?”
Partly because I have been away and have only just caught up with the story about the migrant encampment demolished on the orders of the French immigration minister, Eric Besson. How shocking were the images of the wretched huddles under tarpaulins, in limbo between faint hope and overwhelming despair, unsettled souls between life and death. Conditions were appalling and unsanitary, the stench sickening — literally, I imagine. Sarah was in culture shock, as will be many others: we see these scenes in Rio and Calcutta but here? In affluent and refined Europe?
For millions of Britons and French, such pitiable victims of dark hues and strange tongues ransmogrify into villains when they come to our continent. Bono and Geldof do not rage on their behalf and no one cares. If an enclosure had been discovered in France full of starving, frightened dogs and cats, people would be mortified and incandescent. When Mugabe swept the poorest out of Harare and bulldozed their pathetic dwellings, the British Government and the EU condemned his actions. Today the contemptible immigration minister, Phil Woolas, congratulates the French on their Mugabe solution. Smell the hypocrisy.
The word “jungle” is both racist and inhumane, casting hapless migrants as wild, roaming beasts. I feel the insult keenly because when my people, the Ugandan Asians, were thrown out of Uganda and landed here, some were housed in camps by the government. Opposite one of these, on a wall, graffitied in dark red was a warning: “Keep out. Diseased Pakis in this jungle.”
The French are no more xenophobic than many Brits, including those who themselves were migrants. Shamash, a cousin, believes the French should drive the Calais “jungle” into the sea. Remember, too, that our government forced the closure of the half-decent, Red Cross-run Sangatte camp near Calais to stop people trying to get to Britain. We want only those parts of globalisation that fill our many needs and shun the ambitions of the poorest global citizens who want a bit more. Wars we wage cause refugee flows yet we expect no consequences. I call that greed without responsibility.
Thankfully there are conscientious folk in France and Britain who do care and object to the rules that crush and deny the most deprived. Anti-racist and human rights groups have mounted an effective campaign against punitive policies and violent policing and there were no casualties when the camp was raided. Besson now says the migrants, if asylum seekers, will get a fair hearing and others will be returned to their countries, though not forcibly. I hope he means it. Many inmates have already disappeared into the subterranean and frightening world of the illegal migrant.
People do not leave their homelands unless they have to. Exile is a bitter thing. I agree that France and Britain cannot open their doors to all suffering people from around the world. But those who risk everything to try and make a better life need more respect and even if they are eventually deported, must be treated with compassion. That is not too much to ask of two vowedly “civilised” nations.
Reader views (19)
Rob is right. YAB is naive at the least. These are nearly all young Afghani men. They should be sent back immediately to their own country and get themselves trained in theAfghani army to make their country a better and safer place. Then our soldiers can come home!
- Carol, London SW18
This interview given by a political leader who knows what he is talking about expresses exactly what most people in this country think about illegal immigration and illegal asylum seekers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcP83tSeWgA
- Alec Y, Colyton, England
Other countries, less densely populated than England, could take these people. For example, France, Finland, Sweden, Russia could take millions of people before becoming as overcrowded as this country.
- Gadfly, Norwich, England
Nolan, Londonist, these people are not in a desparate situation, they have been offered asylum in France but have chosen not to take it...thats their perogative.
Unfortunately this once liberal and welcoming country now suffers from compassion fatigue, mainly due to liberty takers flooding in.
You may deplore the "Xenophobes" (is that left wing speak for anyone who disagrees with your world view) but we are in a huge majority and will have a big say in what happens at the next election.
As for showing them respect, why ? What have they done to earn anyones respect..?
- Specialk, London
Allowing illegal migrants/fraudulent asylum seekers such as those in Calais into Britain would be the biggest hypocrisy of all. How would you feel as an immigrant that has come here through all the proper legal chanels, contributed financially and then left only to find out that those that are cheating the system, contribute nothing, express hostile views against British society, refuse to integrate and in the case of asylum seekers, (80% of which, by Labour's own admission, are fraudulent), have everything provided for them and are then allowed to stay - that's the real hypocrisy.
The best idea with regards to asylum seekers would be to close our borders to all applications, refusing to accept any made at or within our borders, declaring them null and void and deporting those that make such claims, not back to Europe, but back to their country of origin.
Instead, the government choose the most deserving off the UN's official refugee list and allow a controlled number off that list in each year. That way only genuine asylum seekers are allowed in and you eradicate the problem of having tens of thousands of fraudulent asylum seekers turning up on our doorstep trying to exploit this country for everything they can.
- Daniel, Kent UK
Same old knee-jerk comments full of xenophobia and Lebensraum. All this article is asking for is compassion and respect for desperate people in a desperate situation, but even those are too expensive for selfish and hateful people.
- Nolan, Londonist
They should be allowed to enter as long as they are not provided with free housing, schooling, health and benefits..
I think we'd soon sort out the wheat from the chaff if we made it clear that they could live in a jungle of their own in England.
And as unsightly as that might be, I suspect they wouldn't stay very long..
- Specialk, London
Let them in. However they should be required to inlist in the British Army (six years) to qualify for the right to live in the UK.
- Gerry ,, london
Yasmin
Firstly, your friend needs to understand that you are not "left wing" according to any definition taht I understand. An apologist for Islamism, a guilty liberal who's not even liberal, and a frequent defender of the indefensible, yes. But not left wing.
The people in The Jungle are indeed wretched, but wretchedness alone does not qualify one for asylum. Travelling across many safe countries and "choosing" the UK is a matter of economic migration, and so they have no right to cross the Channel at all. The French authorities have offered these people the option of claiming asylum in France but very few have chosen to do this.
These young men (and they are all young men -where are the women?) are the sort of enterprising people that countries like Afghanistan need if they want to create a functioning society. We have no obligation - moral or economic - to let them in. True compassion would be to continue to try and rebuild their war torn homes, bt tha's a bit complicated for you, isn't it?
- Rob, London, UK
Yes let them in. However before they can qualify for residence they should be required to serve six years in th British Army. I'm sure they would be most welcome in Afghanistan liberating their brothers and sisters.
- Gerry ,, london
The problem is to do with numbers. Britain is one of Europe's most crowded countries. You may live in a middle class or wealthy area in comfortable financial circumstances. A lot of people in Britain don't.
A lot of noise was made, also incidentally, by long settled British Asians, when the Poles arrived in unexpectedly large numbers. You arrived from Uganda as part of Amin's dictats, so it's to be expected that you have particular sensitivity to the Calais migrants. This is less about colour than sheer force of numbers. All trying to converge on the one spot. Britain. There are thousands upon thousands living and working in the UK who are here illegally. The more that successfully arrive illegally, the more there are game to try.Buying false papers to stay.
People in this country who don't have your financial means to cushion themselves from overcrowding, are already experiencing shortages and underfunding in houses,transport, education, roads and schools. All our infrastructures are creaking. The worry is, what happens when overcrowding becomes unsustainable? One of the outcomes is that people turn on each other. Every society in every country has problems. Your mention of dark hues could apply to India. The light skinned in India look down on darker skin tones. Every country has social burdens and problems. Crammed living becomes intolerable. Here, the fear is now about a gallon drum being forced into a pint pot. Irrespective of if the liquid is lager or Guinness.
- Jane, London
The politicians and Alibhai-Brown just don't get it. The country is full up. We have no more room for economic parasites. These people in the 'jungle' are not assylum seekers they see UK as Eldorado. If they were genuine they would have sought assylum in the first EU conntry. I do not care where they are moved to as long as it is not Britain. Why should I pay hard earned taxes to feed these parasites
- T.Nicholson, Bedale, UK
What is the answer, allow them all to come to the UK?
The problems of illegal immigration in the UK are many, the illegals themselves are exploited, they prevent the successful implementation of minimum wage legislation and are a drain on services paid for by the taxpayers.
There are up to million illegal immigrants already in the UK, allowing more in will only create more problems.
- Manny Goldstein, London, England
The reality is that Europe is an attractive proposition for migrants, many of whom are arriving for economic reasons. The Uk has been very fair and honorable in taking in migrants who are persecuted. But the is not the case now. We are still very liberal and need to tighten up and let in only those who are genuine migrants. Our politicians, however, are not strong and will not address this issue nor the issue of integrating migrants who have been accepted into the UK.
The political correctness mob, the liberal and relaxed attiude (amongst our politicians and policy makers) have a lot to answer to.
- Vijay, London
Why are they in France and not other countries of the EU? Why are they near our borders?
I think the answer is simple. They are not fleeing their own countries for a better place [which could be anywhere that is better than where they came from] but to this country specifically - for reasons we could all suggest. I know it is horrible to see these things - the destruction of their camp - but frankly, I think we should adopt a far less tolerant, non-violent approach and keep them out.
I do ot want them here: simple.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
As a confirmed 'bleeding heart' I find this article the hypocrisy not the French authorities understandable action. These people are attempting to illegally enter the UK to improve their financial lot, genuine asylum seekers could/would have applied in Italy or France. They think the UK is an easy touch but we have to make the facts of life obvious - we are a perilously close to bankrupt country that has to look after it's own citizens not people who can stow away on any method of transport available after destroying their travel documents. Much as I would, emotionally, wish we could help all the needy the time has come to wake up and smell the coffee!
- Kevin (Age 60), London, UK
These are economic migrants and a bad lot at that after mugging tourists at knifepoint and a british journalism student raped at the camp.I don't blame them wanting to come here the 'streets are paved with gold in Britain' are'nt they. These are not genuine asylum seekers or they would have settled in the first port of arrival we have taken in our fair share, should'nt the rest of europe do their bit?
How do you stop people compassionately returning over and over again until they finally sneek in. This is not being racist but are you saying only the british and french are being racist and racism does not exist elsewhere..are ugandan asians the only people free of racism or are the stories of how the ugandan asians treated african ugandans in uganda lies? I have seen asian shopkeepers in kenya selling out of date food to kenyans because they can't read.Fair?
This country is in a big mess in part because of massive unchecked immigration and not protecting our borders with all the infrastructure problems this has given us. Glad you are so 'proud' of this xenophobic country as being generous to migrants coming to these shores. I am because my father was an legal immigrant in the fifties to britain and worked hard to integrate into the british culture and way of life and I am proud of what this country has given to me and my family. Our country is not perfect but there is nowhere else in the world i would rather have been born than here
- Joe Galelli, London
Frankly, I do not care where those people go as long as it not here. Horrible isn't it, but I just do not want them here. They can apply for asylum at their point of entry into Europe, and then, if they qualify and gain EU citizenship, they can come and work here legally. Until that time, stay out. They and they alone are responsible for themselves, not us.
- Carl, London
I do not agree with you on many issues, but this article is spot on. The whole debate on immigration is riddled with hypocrisy.
- Nolan, Londonist
