Early Wednesday morning I found myself in a surreal situation.
In a car chasing a convoy of French police as they left Calais Police Station, blue lights flashing. We followed them for about 20 minutes to a place we know as ‘BMX’, where they quickly organised and set off across a field.
Their purpose? To evict people sleeping in tents, disrupt or destroy what little they had, and take the tents away to landfill.
These forced evictions of small, makeshift refugee camps are ordered by the French government and shamefully part-funded by the UK under its ‘hostile environment’ agenda. For 10 years, in Calais and nearby Grande-Synthe, the French Police Nationale - and worse, the CRS, or riot police - have carried out these evictions every two or three days.
I was with Rowan and Mane from Human Rights Observers, a Calais-based NGO we’ve supported since March. Their small team documents every eviction - in plain sight of the police - including how many tents are taken, who is left without shelter, and whether there’s violence. Sometimes evictions mean tear gas or beatings, even against women and children. That morning, thankfully, we didn’t see violence. Perhaps because we were watching?
When the police left, we returned to help those affected - sharing contacts for La Capuche, the local grassroots charity that replaces confiscated tents. It’s a heartbreaking cycle. Refugees here aren’t registered in any system; they have no shelter, electricity, or running water, just the will to survive.
Yet amid this, it's these small, dedicated charities who bring hope. Local groups set up to help including Calais Food Collective, Refugee Community Kitchen, Youth Kaleidoscope, Project Play, Refugee Women’s Centre, Mobile Refugee Support and others bring humanity to the frontlines with water, food, warmth, dignity and care because our governments are failing to.
These charities run on compassion and tiny budgets. They’re proof that kindness still exists and are what keeps people going, both here in Calais and at home.
💛 If this moved you, please consider becoming a regular donor to forRefugees. We work with grassroots partners around Europe, including those I’ve talked about here, to bring hope and support to refugees. Your kindness helps someone sleep in a dry tent tonight, keeps a child warm, and reminds people they haven’t been forgotten.
