Migrants fight in Calais for control of routes to Britain, say police
Hundreds living in camp with no water or sanitation, just a clear view of the road to the port and the lorries that offer an escape
By Claire Duffin, Calais
11:17PM BST 21 Oct 2014
Armed with a large stick, the young man picks up a rock, rushes forward and hurls it through the air.
Within seconds, four rocks come flying back. They smash into the ground inches from where he was standing: welcome to Calais, where pitched battles between rival gangs of migrants are becoming an almost daily occurrence.
The fight on Tuesday was between Eritreans and Ethiopians. One said it broke out after a man accused another of theft. More likely, police said, it was over who controlled the routes the ferry ports, where migrants routinely try to jump on to lorries bound for the UK.
Whatever the cause, the fight was fierce. At one point, 200 young men - many with their faces covered - squared up to each other at the side of a disused railway. Running towards each other holding sticks - and what looked like hospital crutches - they hurled rocks and shouted until police arrived and used tear gas to break them apart.
It was the second day running that the CRS officers - the French riot police - had been called to break up fights between rival groups of migrants as their numbers in the port town swell.
Calais has received a huge influx of migrants in the past six months, with hundreds of mainly Eritrean, Sudanese and Afghan migrants gathering to attempt the crossing to Britain.
Authorities estimate that more than 1,500 people are living rough in the woods or squatting in disused buildings in the city. However, some say the figure is closer to 2,500.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11178783/Migrants-fight-in-Calais-for-control-of-routes-to-Britain-say-police.html