The testimonies below were anonymously reported by displaced people stuck at the border between France and the UK.
We aim to use this page as a free platform for people to express whatever they wish about their situation.
The testimonies range from personal emotions about the circumstances, to living conditions at the border, to accounts of discrimination, harassment and police violence. They are but a tiny fragment of the reality of the people in transit in Calais and Grande-Synthe. Giving a testimony on an instance of police violence is often only the first step if the person wishes to pursue the case through legal means. Gathering these testimonies also accompanies our work of documenting and denouncing the human rights violations perpetrated by the French State in Calais and Grande-Synthe.
These testimonies were collected exclusively on a voluntary basis, and with the person’s explicit informal oral consent for publication. Our team members are trained to collect testimonies. Translators are used whenever needed to overcome language barriers.
*Our team members are aware that the places in which such conversations are conducted are neither as safe nor as appropriate as we would like.
- They tried to run away, and the police took everything
- Testimony reported 25 June 2025
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- "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”
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- Now we are being nice, but we can use force
- Testimony reported in May 2025
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- "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.”
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- They opened their eyes from being hit by the police
- Testimony recorded 24 May 2025
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- “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.”
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- The police came, broke all the phones and left
- Testimony reported 14 May 2025
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- “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.”
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- Les tirs, ca venait des policiers qui étaient derrière eux
- Testimony reported in March 2025
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- “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.”
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- La police nous parle avec aucun respect
- Témoignage rapporté le 12 Février 2025
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- “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.”
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- We feel fear, always fear, fear
- Testimony reported on 29 January 2025
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- “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.”
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- La police est venue dans notre camp aujourd'hui
- Testimony reported on 17 October 2024
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- “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.”
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- The police forced him out of his tent, they pushed him
- Testimony reported on 4 June 2021
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- “A 14-year-old minor was gassed by police during Friday's eviction. The police said "this is France, this is not an Arab country". The police forced him out of his tent, they pushed him. He was brought to Marseille.”
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- This policeman hit me for no reason
- Testimony reported on 2 June 2021
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- “A white car stopped, and I saw 3 policemen get out of the car. I opened the door and as I got out of the car one of the officers hit me. I didn't have time to talk to him. He did not say anything to me. He immediately hit me with his pistol in my right ear. I fell to the ground and my ear started to bleed. I remember there were three policemen in blue uniforms. The policeman who hit me was tall and white in colour.”
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- They cut down all the tents and they take us away
- Testimony reported on 13 November 2020
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- “It's not right, but they don't listen. They say they have this court document, I don't know what it means. They cut down all the tents and they take us away... and some policemen say racist things, they do bad things with us. At the moment, they're sending us to the hotel, but I don't like the hotel.”
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- The police don't want to leave us along in the jungle
- Testimony reported on 11 November 2020
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- “The police don't want to leave us alone in the jungle. If they won't let us into the jungle, where can we go? We are refugees. The police don't respect refugees. We are humans, not animals. They think we are animals because we are refugees. We respect everyone because our parents taught us respect.”
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- The police told us to leave and never come back
- Testimony reported on 11 November 2020
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- “A week ago, my friends and I were next to the playground around 8am, the police came and told us to leave and never come back. Because of this, we had trouble sleeping, we couldn't find a safe and quiet place to sleep.”
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- In winter, it is cold but they continue to harass and evict people
- Testimony reported on 11 November 2020
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- “I am from Afghanistan and have been living in the jungle in Calais for six months. People's behaviour towards refugees in France is positive and I am grateful to them, but I have a problem with the police. The French police have aggressive behaviour. In winter, it is cold, but they continue to harass and evict people. What we expect from the government is to put an end to this police behaviour so that people can have peace.”
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- We thought if we came here we'd be safe
- Testimony reported on 11 November 2020
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- “I am an asylum seeker because there is a situation that made me leave my home. We arrived here in France, but we were not allowed to live here in France, so everything is complicated; you sleep in the street. We lack a lot of things but we have no choice.”
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- They sprayed tear gas without explanation or provocation
- Testimony reported on 20 September 2020
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- “On several occasions during the last few weeks, riot policemen were taking a small isolated road next to the place where people in displacement were living; they sprayed tear gas on people who were walking, through the window of their vehicle without explanation or provocation.”
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- We can't find peace in Europe
- Testimony reported on 31 August 2020
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- “We thought: maybe could we find peace in Europe? But we didn’t see any of this! We’re facing the biggest war in Europe, racism, fascism, our country is at war, and Europe is at fascist war. ”
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- Out of fear, I stayed hidden for a long time
- Testimony reported on 30 July 2020
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- “On the night of July 30, I was chased by the police with several friends along a road. While running away, I fell on a fence that seriously injured my face (several stitches). Out of fear, I stayed hidden in the ditch for a long time. I saw one of my friends being caught and taken away by the police.”
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- They unleashed their dogs
- Testimony reported on 19 July 2020
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- “[On 11 July at 2am] My friend and I were brutalised by the police. I had a broken tooth. They also unleashed their dogs, whom attacked us without a muzzle.”
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- They destroyed our tent
- Testimony reported on 19 July 2020
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- “[On 16 July] four policemen came back to see us, they destroyed our tent. They were carrying a document, but we couldn’t understand why they did that.”
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- They destroyed our tent
- Testimony reported on 19 July 2020
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- “[On 16 July] four policemen came back to see us, they destroyed our tent. They were carrying a document, but we couldn’t understand why they did that.”
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- The police arrested me for no reason
- Testimony reported on 1 July 2020
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- “Yes, I was in the jungle [this morning] and the police arrested me for no reason and I am heartbroken, [...] I feel bad for this situation because we live in the jungle, we live in dirty places but sometimes the police bother us for no reason so I am very hurt by this bad thing.”
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