Police in Calais fear that by the summer they may be overstretched and will not be able to keep control of migrants trying to get the the UK.
In the Northern French port town of Calais, police are worried that the increasing number of migrants trying to cross over to the UK may create chaos this summer. The past three weeks has seen a surge of migrants who have hitched rides on commercial trucks, hiding themselves away in attempts to reach Britain, TheLocal reports.
A spokesman for the police in the town said, “migrants once again attempted to slow down the traffic by placing branches on the road to obstruct lorries heading to the port of Calais. Migrants are cutting down and putting branches, and even tree trunks, on the road and they are operating simultaneously in several places.”
The behaviour echoes the events of last week when migrants in a Paris camp rioted, requiring police to subdue them with tear gas.
Just last month the migrant camp known as the Jungle was cleared by French authorities, and they were met with resistance from the migrants and the ever present open borders activists who have repeatedly been encouraging migrants to riot in the camps and in Calais itself.
The town was subject to violence earlier in the year when migrants went on a rampage, defacing a statue of wartime leader Charles De Gaulle and storming a ferry that was headed for Britain.
Authorities are especially worried about migrant riots and violence because of the Euro 2016 international Football tournament that will likely spread the resources of the police thin nationwide. The French government has even extended the state of emergency in France that started after the Paris terror attacks in November.
The army also have their hands full because of the state of emergency and are likely not going to be able to spare personnel to help guard and keep the order in the Calais migrant camps. Currently half of the entire French army is on the streets of France on patrol in case the ISIS linked network who planned the Paris and Brussels attacks strike again.
Bruno Noel of the Alliance police union said, “I fear a rise in tensions and more and more problems because thousands of migrants are arriving in Italy, even if some are going back to Turkey.
“My colleagues have had enough because there is no solution.” Currently just over 300 migrants have been deported to Turkey as most migrants in Greece registered for asylum, which prevented them from being immediately deported.
Meanwhile thousands of migrants are crossing into Italy via the Mediterranean in the past few weeks. Many of the arrivals to Italy come from west African countries according to a Frontex report.
Around 5000 migrants are said to be currently in the Jungle camp in Calais. The numbers come from various charities though the French government disputes them and says the real figures are much lower.
Another police union spokesman described the situation saying, “everyone pretends everything is fine in Calais, but it’s just not true. I’m choosing my words here, but the situation is still a hell of a mess.”