France evacuating Jungle to get rid of refugees: Commentator

France has moved in to dismantle the controversial refugee camp in the port city of Calais, known as the Jungle, evacuating thousands of residents apparently on humanitarian grounds. However, there are critics who say this measure is basically a trick to move these refugees to processing centers so that the government can get rid of them more easily.

Talking to Press TV, Edward Corrigan, an international human rights lawyer, acknowledged that dealing with such a large number of refugees just within a single camp like Jungle is a cumbersome task for every government, especially when there is lack of living facilities.

“When you have 7,000 refugees [living] together, there are sanitary risks. You also have a political force there as when they first tried to move the refugees back in February, there were riots; the police had to be brought in; there was tear gas. So, it was a big mess for the government. But you know [with] 7,000 people living in a shanty town, there are going to be health issues. There are not proper facilities to provide warmth in the winter which is coming,” Corrigan said.

The analyst noted that ultimately, France, Britain and other Western countries, which are complaining about the influx of refugees, are actually facing the result of their own interventions in the Middle East.

This refugee crisis is of their own creation, Corrigan underscored, adding that prior to the attacks on Libya, Syria, and Yemen, there were very few refugees coming out of those countries. But, he added, that when regime change became the dominant policy of the British, French and the US governments and they spent billions of dollars to destroy these countries, they should naturally expect the backlash from such policies.

"This is going to be a major problem and of course [it] is a big humanitarian crisis. Hopefully, the Red Cross and other organizations are going to be able to step in and help these people. I think as long as the humanitarian objectives are met, it's probably a good thing. But it's still part of this larger debate over what to do with the refugees. Of course France and England and other countries don't want to take any responsibility for creating this refugee crisis in the first place," he concluded.

According to reports, more than three quarters of asylum seekers in the Calais camp were subjected to mistreatment at the hands of police during earlier evacuations in February and March.

Late last month, French President Francois Hollande paid a visit to the camp which has become the symbol of Europe’s struggle with its biggest influx of refugees since World War II and pledged to dismantle it.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk