CALAIS, FRANCE — A group of Iranian immigrants have sewn their mouths shut in protest as tension escalated last week when authorities began the eviction and demolition of a portion of the "Jungle" camp in Calais, France.
The group of seven men marched towards police overseeing the clearance of a section of the camp, carrying signs that read, "Representatives of the United Nations and human rights come and bear witness, we are humans," and "Where is your democracy, where is our freedom?"
Earlier, the men had gathered near the now iconic St. Michaels church to stitch up their mouths. The act was reminiscent to when refugees and migrants have previously sewn their lips shut in November during a hunger strike on the Greece-Macedonia border in protest of their treatment.
Thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty, from Afghanistan to Syria, have converged on the northern port over the past year. Their collective makeshift shelters have formed communities and been called, the "Jungle."
Many have illegally climbed onto trains using the Channel Tunnel or into lorries heading to Britain where they hope to settle. Their presence has led to tension between local populations and police.
Last week, a judge upheld a government order to evict migrants living in the southern part of the camp, with the exception of a few makeshift buildings of social importance such as a school and a theater, which are to remain untouched.
Prior to the ruling, authorities said they would work with humanitarian organizations to relocate the migrants to a nearby park of converted shipping containers or other reception centers around France.
Reports out of Calais have said that police used violent force involving tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, bulldozers, mallets and chainsaws, despite a promise from French authorities that the eviction process would be gradual and peaceful.
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