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.

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.
Refugees being evicted. Standing at the side of the road with police vans.

*Some of the following testimonies were uploaded in French, and others in English, so the translations may not always be exact.

Displaced group evicted from Unicorn living space

Reported on: 04.06.2021 by Kuwaiti and Iraqi exiles

One person was beaten with a baton. The people didn't consent to get on the buses, they didn't know where they were going.

One person was beaten while still in his tent. Someone lost their phone.

A person was threatened by the police, the police threatened to gas him.

An Iraqi exiled person lived for five in Germany, he had to leave Germany because his asylum application was refused. He cannot go home because he is in danger. He is afraid of being persecuted. He just wants to find a place where he will be safe, where he can start his life over.

"If it weren't for the associations we would have already died"

A person had just received money from his family, the money was seized by law enforcement the next day because of the eviction.

The FDO prevented people from urinating, one person insisted, and eventually two policemen had to escort him and monitor him to use the toilet.

People in exile do not understand why the police do not leave them alone, why they cannot go to England.

Most people told us that they were taken to different places, they had no choice but to go up. They told us that: "when you have no rights, you have to do what the police says".

They were in a hotel for 2 days, then they came back to Calais. Some of them were taken far, hundreds of kilometers from Calais, to Toulouse, Lyon ...

Displaced group evicted from Unicorn living space

Reported on: 04.06.2021 by Sudanese exiles

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.

Law enforcement officials prevented him from retrieving his personal belongings. He saw a person being pushed and then beaten by the police. Others were gassed, beaten, then slashed and gassed his tent while the person was still inside. He was brought to Marseille. Law enforcement officials seized the tent, not letting him get his things back after he twice asked to be able to get his things back.

One person wanted to locate his medication, but the police prevented him. The police said "you have two minutes to get out".

One person was woken up by the police with a kick on a tent, he said he wanted to stay here. The police beat him with batons, grabbed him by the collar of his T-shirt and dragged him to the bus by force.

Another person was patted down by the police, the police took € 2,000 from his pockets. They wouldn't let him take back his personal belongings. He lost everything because of the eviction. He was taken far, to Nice.

The people returned to Calais two or three days later. They took the train, they were checked several times. They must have taken several trains.

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 02.06.2021

I live in the informal living space behind the Jesuit farm in Grande-Synthe.

On the night of May 31 to June 1, 2021, I left my home with thirteen other people in a car to try to get to England. We planned to hit the beach to try to cross the Channel. We left around midnight. After driving, our car broke down. When this happened we were at this location:

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.

The police then called for backup. More policemen arrived, I can't remember exactly how many there were. The police told us to remain seated, without moving. No policeman notified the emergency room when I was badly injured. We sat there for about 30/40 minutes. The other people who were with me in the car were not physically injured, I was the only one who was hit by the policeman.

The police then left with the other inhabitants of the place of life in Grande-Synthe and brought them back. I stayed with my friend. I called the Utopia association. They came to get me and they took me to the Dunkirk hospital center. We arrived at the emergency room at 2:33 am. At the hospital, the medical staff cleaned my wound, then the Utopia team brought me back to the Grande-Synthe jungle. I didn't want to stay in the hospital because I didn't feel comfortable.

I returned to the hospital the next day, June 1st at 1:10 pm. A doctor treated me.

This policeman hit me for no reason, I would like my rights to be recognised because what he did to me is truly inhuman.

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 13.11.2020

“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.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 11.11.2020

“We are in a dangerous situation. But we are not dangerous.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 11.11.2020

“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.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 11.11.2020

“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.”

(translated from Arabic)

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 11.11.2020

“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.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 11.11.2020

“I am Chadian. I have been given permission to say what I want to say regarding the situation here, people like us.

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.

They informed us that we have to leave the territory, otherwise we are sent home. if we hadn't had a problem, we wouldn't be here. If we came here - we asked the government for help - it's because we really need help. That's why we're here. If you want to send us home, that is to say, you who want to kill us. It's not our government, not our family, because we ran away from death.

We came here... We thought if we came here we'd be safe, but it’s actually quite the opposite. So if there is something that you can help us with - all we ask for is help. We live as human beings too: we need freedom and to live as everyone else.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 20.09.2020

“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.”

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 31.08.2020

“We’re in Europe, facing a difficult life. All of this, to live in dignity. But we can find peace in Europe. We risk our lives to reach Europe, because our country is under conflict and war. We couldn't find peace in our country as well, that is why we emigrated to Europe.

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. We’ve never thought that one day we’d arrive in Europe and face that situation. We are immigrants, we live in France, in Calais region, France didn’t accept us, that is why we try to get into England. All of this for a better future. I wish and hope you can help me in this situation.”

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 30.07.2020

“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.”

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 19.07.2020

“[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.”

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 19.07.2020

“[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.”

Displaced person living in Grande-Synthe

Reported on: 19.07.2020

“[On 16 July] four officers of the national police came to wake us up kicking our tents, ridiculing us and calling us children.”

(Translated from Persian)

Displaced person living in Calais

Reported on: 01.07.2020

Were you in the jungle this morning ?

“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.”

When they arrested you, did they explain why did they arrest you ?

“They didn't tell me why, but they told us "you have no documents". A lot of people in the jungle don't have documents, that's why we were arrested today for no reason. A lot of people are undocumented in the jungle, and a lot of people are homeless, a lot of people are unemployed, but we have to go to the UK, so sometimes that's what happens: the police bother us ... it's a very, very bad thing for us, you know? So I feel bad. We need rights for refugees and [migrants] from Calais.”