A seaside town in northern France is seeing ‘urban guerrilla warfare’ play out on its once quiet streets as migrants hoping to cross to the UK are clashing with police.
Residents in Grand-Fort-Philippe, located between Calais and Dunkirk, have lived peacefully for years alongside the men, women and children who are desperately seeking a new life over the Channel.
But many are now fearing for their safety as clashes between migrants and police have worsened, moving from beaches around a mile away into residential areas, The Telegraph reports.
The violence, which has involved police using tear gas against people hurling stones, has upended lives and seen people’s property become collateral damage in the small town of around 5,200 people.
Meanwhile, a new camp likened to the ‘Jungle’ – a large maze of tents which was dismantled in 2016 – has reportedly sprung up on the outskirts of the town.
A gendarmes is seen near a group of migrants in the town of Gravelines, near Dunkirk
Makeshift encampments have sprung up near Dunkirk as migrants await a spot on a boat to cross the Channel
Residents in Grand-Fort-Philippe, located between Calais and Dunkirk, have lived peacefully alongside migrants hoping to cross the Channel for years
Pictures show the makeshift shelters in the new encampment, which is near the ferry terminal in Dunkirk.
Migrants sleep in tents, and even WWII bunkers, along the coast as they wait to negotiate a space on a dinghy with people smugglers.
Relations between locals and migrants have been cordial, with many sympathising with their plight and people staying in the area largely keeping to themselves.
But things have become more tense with the introduction of more police officers after local mayors appealed for more assistance, locals have said.
‘Between us and the migrants, there’s no problem,’ Yvon Agez, a retired grandfather who has lived his whole life in Grand-Fort-Philippe. ‘They pass by, we exchange hellos, and that’s that.’
But, he said: ‘Now that police are preventing them from leaving it’s become war, a war between police and migrants. If the police would just let them cross, there’d be no problem.’
Mr Agez said he had started to escort his 12-year-old granddaughter to and from school, as he feared she might get caught up in the potential violence.
Locals fear that this is only the beginning, with one saying that he believes the migrant crisis is ‘going to get worse over the next 20 years’.
A large group of migrants are seen receiving aid from charity workers in northern France
Reports suggest that as French police are swarming around northern French beaches, people smugglers are looking towards towns like Grand-Fort-Philippe, near canals and rivers, to launch boats from.
Around 50 migrants were blocked from boarding an inflatable boat on August 13, with scuffles on the beach spilling out onto residential streets.
Over in the nearby town of Gravelines, one family woke up to find a group of migrants inflating a boat in their backyard to avoid police detection.
The local mayor said while it was the first case of its kind, he fears that it could become ‘a new tactic’.
Flashing blue and red lights, the speedboat made a couple of close passes by the dinghy, warning it to turn around and head for shore
‘Can you imagine waking up in the middle of the night, and finding people in your garden blowing up a boat?’ Bertrand Ringot said.
While some locals say they are reassured by the increased presence of police, charities have warned of their heavy handed approach and even violent tactics, with one saying that families with children and pregnant women have been tear-gassed.
Many locals have argued that police should allow migrants to pass through on their journey to reach the UK.
But local authorities have pointed out that by allowing ill-equipped migrants to pass through, they are effectively leaving them to die at sea.
Meanwhile a migrant aid charity called Utopia 56 pointed out that most migrant deaths happen near the shore.
It says the presence of police on beaches causes panic among those trying to head out to sea, often causing them to set off on boats that are not properly inflated or assembled, or have even been punctured by cops.
Authorities came under fire last week when shocking video emerged showing border guards ramming their speedboat into an overloaded migrant vessel as it departed from Calais.
So far this year, 25 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Channel – more than double the number of fatalities in the whole of last year.
Migrants walk in the water as they desperately try to board a smuggler’s boat on the north coast of France (file image)
Nearly 20,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats since the start of the year (file image)
Over 500 migrants arrived in the UK on Tuesday alone as border forces struggle to manage the crisis, with the total now pushing 20,000 for 2024.
Migrant crossings have risen through the summer, in keeping with yearly trends. Last year, a total of 29,437 people arrived in the UK in small boats – down from 45,755 in 2022.
In the year ending June 2024, Afghans were the main nationality crossing the channel, followed by Iranians, Vietnamese and Turks.
Many of the arrivals are fleeing war or persecution from oppressive regimes, but run significant risks making the perilous journey.
