Extraordinary moment Calais security guards turned a fire hose on hundreds of migrants as they stormed a P&O ferry in desperate bid to get to Britain
Extraordinary moment Calais security guards turned a fire hose on hundreds of migrants as they stormed a P&O ferry in desperate bid to get to Britain
- At least 250 illegal immigrants attempted to board a ferry at the French port
- Staff were forced to use a fire hose to stop the crowds pushing past them
- Group pushed past machine gun-wielding police and climbed over fences
- Eventually stopped as they ran up the main ramp into the ferry's vehicle hold
- Incident comes as Calais' mayor threatens to blockade the massive port
- Natacha Bouchart is demanding Britain helps control immigrants in the area
A
ferry bound for Britain has been stormed by up to 250 illegal immigrants
who tried to force their way on board the vessel at the French port of
Calais.
Witnesses
said security staff were forced to turn a fire hose on the crowds as
they attempted to overpower officials and machine-gun wielding police by
climbing over fences and running up the main ramp into the ferry's
vehicle hold.
The shocking incident took place yesterday afternoon, with P&O Ferries confirming that a 'huge intrusion' had occurred.
The
news comes as the mayor of Calais threatened to blockade the port
unless Britain pays out to compensate locals for the money spent
controlling large and unsanitary immigrant camps in the area.
Natacha
Bouchart says locals have been 'taken hostage' by about 1,500 migrants
who hope to cross into the UK because they see it as 'an Eldorado' with a
lax attitude towards immigration.
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Detained: Witnesses said the crowds
attempted to overpower officials and machine-gun wielding police by
climbing over fences and running up the main ramp into the ferry's
vehicle hold
There
were two attempts to storm the ferry yesterday - the first by 90
immigrants, who forced their way through a gate and then over a fence
before the ferry's crew were able to raise the ramp in time.
A
second attempt involving 150 individuals took place a short time later,
with police able to block their path and detain them - again before
they made it up the ferry's ramp.
The
ferry was delayed for about 45 minutes while a search for escapees was
carried out, before eventually setting sail for Britain.
P&O had a ferry at the quayside today, and a spokesman said the scenes were 'not unusual'.
Shocking:
Security staff were forced to turn a fire hose on the crowds as they
attempted to overpower officials and run up the main ramp into the
ferry's vehicle hold
Run for it: There
were two attempts to storm the ferry yesterday - the first by 90
immigrants, who forced their way through a gate and then over a fence
before the ferry's crew were able to raise the ramp in time
Brazen: Witnesses said the immigrants
were not intimidated by police with machine guns guarding the entrance
to the ferry, casually running past them as they attempted to force
their way on board
Speaking
to the BBC, witness John Bailey said: 'The migrants were escorted back
down the ramp by the police and led out of the port, shouting at some
people in the vehicle queue.'
Mr
Bailey added that on his arrival at the ferry port he was shocked to
witness a stand-off between a group of immigrants and French police
brandishing sub-machine guns.
'This
was clearly no deterrent as they obviously ran past them into the port,
which must have been a distance of about a mile,' he said.
News
of the ferry storming comes as Ms Bouchart demanded Britain compensate
Calais residents whose lives have been made a misery by immigrant camps
in the area.
She
blames Britain for having a lax immigration policy which encourages
people to try and travel there in the hope they will be given a warmer
welcome than in other parts of Europe.
Mass: The incident took place yesterday afternoon, with P&O Ferries confirming that a 'huge intrusion'
Sprint: A second
attempt involving 150 individuals took place a short time later, with
police able to block their path and detain them - again before they made
it up the ferry's ramp (pictured in background)
As the closest French port to Britain, Calais has suffered the brunt of this attitude, Ms Bouchart argues.
Large
unsanitary illegal immigrant camps have regularly sprung up in Calais
and the surrounding area after the French government closed the Red
Cross centre in nearby Sangatte.
Most of those living there are Eritreans, Sudanese and Afghans.
French
police regularly break-up the camps, but they quickly spring up
elsewhere - with the migrants saying they have nowhere else to go as it
is too dangerous to return to their own countries.
Witness: Ferry passenger John Bailey
said: 'The migrants were escorted back down the ramp by the police and
led out of the port, shouting at some people in the vehicle queue'
Lorry drivers and car passengers look on as the immigrants attempt to force their way on to the ferry
Fed up: Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said she would block the port if it was legal to do so
Ms
Bouchart has criticized British calls for €10 million to be spent on
increased security at the port of Calais, arguing that the UK must
contribute more money itself to help cover the cost.
She has described herself as 'sick' of the numbers queuing up in northern France to try and sneak across the Channel,
'I could take the decision to block the port,' she said, following a meeting with Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve in Paris.
'I could bring pressure to bear. It would be illegal, but today I want to make a strong gesture towards the British.'
An estimated three million freight lorries, two million cars and 12 million passengers pass through Calais to Dover every year.
Official
figures put the current number of migrants sleeping rough in a squat
camp dubbed Jungle 2 and in disused buildings in the town at 1,300, but
charity groups say the figure is more like 2000 and rising by roughly 20
people a day.
Transport
companies are urging truckers to avoid boarding ferries at Calais
following violent incidents between drivers faced with £1,500 fines if
illegals are found in their trailers and people smugglers armed with
knives, iron bars and in a case last week a pump action shotgun.
Last
month, there were violent clashes between armed Eritrean and Sudanese
gangs over territorial rights to spots where it is easy to jump on
trucks and attempt to stowaway to Britain.
Sudanese refugees relax in Calais. A
'new Songatte' camp has been established in some woods just outside
Calais by refugees who are waiting to get into the UK
Immigrants scramble for warm clothes and blankets in the cold of Calais
Official figures put the current
number of migrants sleeping rough in the Jungle 2 camp (above) and in
disused buildings around Calais at 1,300. The real number is closer to
2,000 and rising every day, experts say
The original Red Cross camp at Sangatte, which was home to 2,000 migrants, was shut down in 2002.
After
the closure, Britain accepted hundreds of migrants in a deal with the
French government but others were forced to move to a makeshift camp
which became known as The Jungle.
It
was razed in 2009 and, since then, the mostly Afghans and Iraqi Kurds
have had to occupy squats in the town and camps near the ferry terminal.
In recent months, the French government has adopted a tough stance,
razing camps and throwing migrants on to the street.
But an increasing number of East African arrivals who have flocked to the Jungle 2 camp have caused tensions to rise again.
There
are also thought to be thousands living in makeshift camps in the
French countryside, with settlements having sprung up as far away as the
Belgian border.
- copy http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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