Police violence in Calais
Reported on 14.05.2025
“They are a big group staying here in the jungle in Calais City. The problem is that the police came, but they didn’t wear police uniforms. They didn’t answer to them or speak with them. After that a police bus came, a black one. They just started to hit everyone, also people sleeping in the tents. The police used pepper spray. It was dark at night.”
“They gassed and sprayed the tent, pillow, mattress, sleeping bags. After that no one could touch it, they were to allergic, nobody can use it. He says, after that we can’t use anything. It’s like feeling scratching or burning.”
“They were asleep, but not all the group was asleep. Someone woke up and saw that the police was coming, He shouted “Hey! Police is coming, wake up!” But you know, when you just woke up you can’t do anything fast. But someone had a fast reaction, ran away. But someone was asleep. Because not all of them sleep together. The police started hitting all of them while they were sleeping. They opened their eyes from being hit by the police.”
“But the one who woke up and went, someone started to hit him for there. With the black thing from the police and spray in the eyes.”
“After they hit them, they said: “You should look for another place, you can’t stay in this place.”
“There is another one in the group, he’s sick, police hit him too much, he can’t walk. He tried to call an ambulance. The ambulance came, but they said to him that he didn’t have papers. He is from Africa. But they took him to the hospital. In the emergency ward nobody helped him, they just left him like that for a long time. He was worried and contacted a friend. He went back, because nobody helped him. Now he’s sick and staying tired in the jungle.
(Testimony shared in Arabic and mediated by a translator)
Police destruction of phones
Reported on 14.05.2025
Testimony shared by 2 young Sudanese men living in Calais. They are in the habit of charging their phones on a construction site across facing their camp, with the consent of the manager.
“They left the phones there. They have a good relationship with the manager who agreed to put their phone on charge. They went to the Jungle to have some food and tea. The police came to the jungle, did a checkpoint and everything. The police went to the company [the place where the phones were charging], entered the company, broke all the phones and left.”
“They were two. One male, one female. They had a police car, uniforms, a camera and everything. It was written ‘police’ on the car.
“They saw them breaking the phones and were trying to stop them, and the police tear-gassed them.”
(Testimony shared in Arabic and meditated by a translator)
Detention after an eviction
Reported in May 2025
“We were sleeping and at 6 in the morning, the police arrived with two translators, one from Morocco and the other from Yemen. However, they spoke English with us, not Arabic. They said: “get out of your tents, take nothing with you, we just want to talk.” The first time, they said it a bit kindly. But there were many of use in this camp, too many tents in the jungle. We came out of our tents. He didn’t let me take my pillow, my mattress, my sleeping bag, or my tent.
I spoke with my group. I told them “don’t resist the police, don’t do anything. If they want to take us to the police station, we are in a European country, we can’t say no. That’s normal.”
A policeman told us “if you don’t listen or if you don’t go with the police, we can do this another way. Now we are being nice, but we can use force. We are in France, so you must respect the French police.””
“There were more than 12 black buses, police vans. He told me “okay, we are going to take you to the police station, whether you want or not, you all have to come.” He took me. I tried to stay in contact with the English Red Cross, the French Red Cross, and Human Rights Observers. I sent my location and short videos. But a police officer saw me and said “I will break your phone if I see you do that one more time.” I couldn’t see his face. I stopped using the phone.”
“When we arrived to the police station, they searched us, they took our phones. I had to hand over my medication. I said “I have asthma and a severe allergy. I take my medication four times a day.” I also have a medication called PrEP. It’s a pill for homosexuals. We use it everyday against HIV. I do not have HIV; I use it for safety. A police officer asked me “why are you using this? Are you sick?” I replied “no, I am not sick, I am gay. That’s why I use it.”
But everyone around was listening, it was a big problem for me. Now I cannot return to my camp, too many people are talking about it. We come from Arab countries. It’s a different culture, no one understands homosexuality there. Also, they could share it in my country or with my family. I would lose my entire family if they did that.
A police man told me “you can’t take your medication with you. Leave it here. If you need it, call us and we will come give it to you.”
They gave me a translator on the phone. She asked for my date of birth and my nationality. Then a police man gave me more papers, there were more than 12 documents. I asked what these were for. The police officer said “sign, sign!”. I replied that I won’t sign if I don’t know. He told me “alright, then you will stay here longer, maybe a month. Maybe we will see with Dublin, maybe we will send you back to Germany or another country. We can do that if you want.” I signed, but I didn’t know what I signed. Then, they put me in a small room; there were four of us. I asked the police for water, and they told me that the water was automatically provided by a machine, but it wasn’t working.
We asked for water again. One police officer told us “by the way, tomorrow afternoon you can go out. I asked him “but why not now?” He replied, “you can’t ask me that question. Listen to me, if you want to go out. If you want to stay here longer, we will let you go last.””
“I didn’t ask anything else. at 2PM we were all given food and a cup of water. After half an hour, two people arrived without police uniforms. They said: “you are all going to unlock your phones!” One police man asked “what is your phone?” I showed them my phone. But I told him: “This is private information, only for me. My documents are with you; if you want you can see my name and everything else.” I couldn’t express myself and explain about my private data because I was with someone from my camp and my country. The police man said to me “I’m not interested; you need to unlock your phone now.” I gave him the pin code and showed him how to unlock the phone. Then he went into another room for about half an hour.
After that, he came back and brought me in. Other policemen laughed at me. The policemen (about 6 people) all started to laugh, after they saw what my phone was. I have gay apps on it. I also have photos of my boyfriend and another friend, some of which are naked.
The policemen asked me “Why did you come to Europe?” I replied, “I think you all know it by now,, You laugh or smile because you know that I am gay. Your system or you rules in France support all LGBTQ people. That’s why I came. And my information, with whom do you share it?” A police officer replied to me “that’s none of you business, you should leave now. It’s better for you.”
I left, I can’t go back to the jungle because now more people there know that I am gay. This will create more and more problems with them.
After two days, my boyfriend told me that he found a message in our shared email account, saying that someone unknown had entered our account. I also received this message “Are you […]? Someone is trying to access your email.” I think the police shared my information This email arrived after I left the police station. At the police station, I simply unlocked my phone and gave them my pin code. My password for my email account is secret. I did not give it to the police, I don’t know how they could have accessed it.
Early morning eviction in Calais
Reported on 25.06.2025
Testimony shared by an Eritrean man living in Calais, whose belongings were seized by the police during an early morning operation, at 6:30AM, in June 2025.
“The police came. They were scared and tried to run away, and they left everything in this place. His tent and everything. Other people were in the same situation. They were scared from the police, so they tried to run away, and the police took everything. Like tents, and things like that. And even the telephone inside the tent.”
“When the police came, he tried to run away, because they were going to catch him. As the situation in Libya, when he saw the police, he tries to run away directly and doesn’t focus on the tents.”
Personal belongings seized during police raids can, in theory, be recovered at the “Ressourcerie,” a facility tasked with sorting, recycling, and selling second-hand items in Calais.
“He goes there 3 or 4 times to check since the date. He tried many times.”
“Sometimes they say “no, there is no telephone here”, sometimes they bring 3 or 4 telephones, but there is not his telephone.”
(Testimony shared in Tigrinya and mediated by a translator)
Violences lors d'une tentative de traversée
Rapporté en mars 2025
Témoignage relaté par une personne habitant à Calais, suite à des violences policières subies sur une plage du littoral nord. Les faits datent du 9 mars 2025, aux alentours de 16:30, alors qu’un groupe d’une cinquantaines de personnes tente la traversée vers l’Angleterre. Ce groupe incluait des familles, des femmes, et des enfants.
“Il y avait une tentative de traverser pour aller en Angleterre. A ce moment là, il portait avec d’autres personnes un bateau gonflable. Un drone et un hélicoptère ont commencé à tirer des balles lacrymogènes. Il à été touché. Il me dit que c’était des bombes lacrymogènes.”
“Les tirs, ca venait des policiers qui étaient derrière eux, à environ 100, 150 mètres. Ils avaient une sorte de fusil”
La personne à été touché à l’épaule gauche par un tir lacrymogène.
“Il dit qu’il avait une veste qui à été brulée, et il y en a une [balle] qui à touché le bateau gonflable et une qui a touché la réserve d’essence. Ca à touché et créé beaucoup de fumée noire. Il a failli brûler, donc ils ont tous fui. Il dit que ça pouvait être une situation catastrophique.”
“Ils ont porté le bateau et l’hélicoptère et le drone sont apparus. Les tirs ont commencé même pas deux minutes après l’apparition du drone”
La personne précise avoir entendu plus de 10 tirs de grenade lacrymogènes.
(Témoignage relaté en Arabe, avec la médiation d’un traducteur)
Personne exilée vivant à Calais
Rapporté le 12.02.2025
“[La police] nous parle avec aucun respect, même pas un minimum de respect. Ils pourraient nous demander de sortir des tentes, nous parler, au lieu de ça ils nous crient dessus et nous sortent des tentes la nuit. Moi j’ai du respect pour la police, et eux, ils n’en ont aucun, je ne comprends pas. J’ai essayé de leur parler, ils m’ont dit de me taire.
“Vous, vous avez des papiers d’identité. Moi aussi j’ai des papiers d’identité, mais les miens ils ne suffisent pas, je ne comprends pas.”
(Témoignage relaté en Anglais)
We feel fear, always fear, fear
Reported on 29.01.2024
Testimony shared by a Punjabi man living in Calais for a few months, trying to cross the English Channel to visit a family member.
“When we go to the police they won’t help us. They just give us jail when we go to the supermarket to purchase anything, they give us the jails. Like 24 hours or 48 hours, they don’t want to listen to us.”
“The first time the police came into the camp, it was fear. We got into jail. It was like the fear of the first person, fear of the child to hold the fire, he doesn’t know what is fire.”
“The second time it was casual. They will get you in jail, maybe one day we will be out. The third and fourth time it was casual, it is now like the daily soap we have to apply to our body. It is like the daily thing.”
“24/7 we have the stress of the mind, like some person will come, they will stab on the chest, like we will die one day over here, sleeping in the tent”
“Maybe they think that we will stab someone. Really, we stab someone? They are stabbing us. They are stabbing us in our minds. Not in the chest, they are stabbing us in our minds. One day we will be killed. Our mind is being killed, Everyday, a new problem, a new situation.”
“Because of this we feel fear, always fear, fear.”
“My friends were going over there [to the water tank] and were attacked by five to six people, two people being attacked by six people. He was carrying to cans, one for my friend and his. He was carrying two cans and six people came over. He had to throw the cans and run for his life, otherwise they would stab him.”
“Recently one of the people mixed something in the water. Maybe to kill us. We have to call the Calais water service [referring to Calais Food Collective], to ask they to please change the water. It was a French person I don’t know. He was white. He peed on the water tank and mixed something in the water."
Arrestation violente à Calais
Rapporté le 27.10.2024
“La police est venue dans notre camp aujourd’hui, et a arrêté mon ami. Ils ont volé les tentes et leur contenu. Mon ami ne leur a rien dit. Ils l’ont battu, l’ont jeté à terre, lui ont attaché les mains et l’ont emmené.”
Eviction at the Unicorn living space
Reported on 04.06.2021
Testimony shared by Sudanese exiles living in Calais
Un mineur de 14 ans a été gazé par la police lors de l’expulsion de vendredi. La police a dit « ici c’est la France, c’est pas un pays arabe ». Les polices l’ont forcé à sortir de sa tente, ils l’ont poussé. Il a été amené vers Marseille.
Les forces de l’ordre l’ont empêché de récupérer ses affaires personnelles. Il a vu une personne être poussé puis frappé par la police. D’autres personnes ont été gazé, frappé, puis ils l’ont lacéré et gazé sa tente alors que la personne se trouvait encore à l’intérieur. Il a été amené vers Marseille. Les forces de l’ordre ont saisi la tente, ils le l’ont pas laissé reprendre ses affaires alors qu’il a demandé à deux reprises de pouvoir récupérer ses affaires.
Une personne a voulu repérer ses médicaments mais la police l’a empêché. La police a dit « tu as deux minutes pour sortir ».
Une personne a été réveillé par la police avec un coup de pied sur tente, il a dit qu’il voulait rester ici. Les policiers l’ont frappé à coup de matraques, ils l’ont attrapé par le col de son tee-shirt et l’ont trainé jusqu’au bus de force.
Une autre personne a été palpé par la police, la police lui a pris 2 000€ dans ses poches. Ils le l’ont pas laissé reprendre ses affaires personnelles. Il a tout perdu à cause de l’expulsion. Il a été amené loin, vers Nice.
es personnes sont revenues à Calais deux, trois jours après. Ils ont pris le train, ils ont été contrôlé plusieurs fois. Ils ont dû prendre plusieurs trains.
personnes exilées vivant à Grande-Synthe
Reported on 02.06.2021
J’habite dans le lieu de vie informel situé dernière la ferme des jésuites à Grande-Synthe.
Dans la nuit du 31 mai au 1er juin 2021, je suis partie de mon lieu de vie avec treize autres personnes dans une voiture pour tenter d’aller en Angleterre. Nous avions prévu d’atteindre la plage pour tenter de traverser la manche. Nous sommes partis aux alentours de minuit. Après avoir roulé, notre voiture est tombée en panne. Quand cela est arrivé nous étions à cet endroit :
Une voiture blanche s’est arrêté, et j’ai vu 3 policiers sortir de la voiture. J’ai ouvert la portière et en sortant de la voiture un des officiers m’a frappé. Je n’ai pas eu le temps de lui parler. Il ne m’a rien dit. Il m’a de suite frappé avec son pistolet sur mon oreille droite. Je suis tombée par terre et mon oreille a commencé à saigner. Je me souviens qu’ils étaient trois policiers en uniforme bleu. Le policier qui m’a frappé était grand et de couleur de peau blanche.
Les policiers ont ensuite appelé du renfort. D’autres policiers sont arrivés, je ne me souviens pas exactement combien ils étaient. Les policiers nous ont dit de rester assis, sans bouger. Aucun policier n’a prévenu les urgences alors que j’étais très blessé. Nous sommes restés assis à cet endroit pendant 30/40 minutes environs. Les autres personnes qui étaient avec moi dans la voiture n’ont pas été blessé physiquement, je suis seul à avoir été frappé par le policier.
Les polices sont ensuite partis avec les autres personnes habitants du lieu de vie à Grande-Synthe et les ont ramené. Je suis resté avec mon ami. J’ai appelé l’association Utopia. Ils sont venus me chercher et ils m’ont amené au centre hospitalier de Dunkerque. Nous sommes arrivés aux urgences à 2h33. A l’hôpital, le personnel médical a nettoyé ma blessure, puis l’équipe d’Utopia m’a ramené à la jungle de Grande-Synthe. Je n’avais pas envie de rester dans l’hôpital car je ne me sentais pas à l’aise.
Je suis retourné à l’hôpital le lendemain, le 1er juin à 13h10. Un médecin m’a soigné.
Ce policier m’a frappé sans aucune raison, je voudrais que mes droits soient reconnus car ce qu’il m’a fait est vraiment inhumain.