Emmanuel Macron has called on the United Kingdom to do more in response to the refugee crisis after insisting there will not be another large refugee camp in Calais.
The French President visited Calais before going to London to meet Prime Minister Theresa May. Macron will make a strong and clear message stating: “the border is closed and Calais can no longer be a destination for migrants”.
In a speech, the French President outlined a “new policy” towards immigration and asylum.
“There will be no reconstruction of ‘the Jungle’ [the derogatory name given to the Calais camp] or tolerance of illegal settlements in or around Calais,” he said. “To stay in Calais and built makeshift shelters and even set up squats is a dead end. The alternative is clear; people can get to the reception centres where everyone’s case will be examined and those who have the right, given asylum in our country.”
The French president also accused organisations of lying about police brutality and discouraging people from making the journey to the UK.
He did warn police that their behaviour must be “exemplary” and that “these men and women are human beings”.
“It’s a delicate mission and for it you must be exemplary and in absolute respect of professional ethics and absolute respect of the law. This means not waking people up in the middle of the night, not using tear gas during mealtimes,” said the French President in Calais.
Macron spoke to a crowd of around 100 French police officers, soldiers and security forces at the Calais Gendarmerie.
Hundreds of refugees continue to live in and around Calais despite the French police dismantling the “Jungle” camp.
People are continuing to arrive in Calais and hoping to make the journey to the UK but Macron has made clear that France can no longer be Britain’s “coast guard.”