Lille court rules there is no legal basis for expelling 72 people running makeshift stores and cafes at Calais camp

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A French court has rejected a bid by Calais authorities to demolish dozens of makeshift shops and restaurants in the Jungle camp where thousands of refugees are living.



At a court hearing this week, Calais authorities had argued the state should be able to knock down a total of 72 makeshift shops where people inside the camp sell goods, from cigarettes to energy drinks, offer haircuts, or sell tea for 50 cents (40p) or basic meals for a few euros in makeshift restaurants.

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The Calais prefect’s office argued the places should be demolished because they represented a parallel economy that did not pay tax, and because they carried fire and sanitation risks.

Humanitarian groups had told the court the shops and restaurants were vital, saying the free meals offered by a state-backed association and other groups did not provide enough food for the growing numbers at the camp. They argued the makeshift shops and restaurants often provided shelter and free meals to those in need.

A Lille court ruled there was no legal basis for expelling the people running the 72 makeshift shops, but said the Calais prefect’s concerns “were totally understandable”.

The judge, Jean-François Molla, said the groceries, cafes and restaurants played a much bigger role than simply feeding people that “live in extremely precarious conditions”. He said the spaces provided calm meeting points between refugees and volunteers.

One of the places that had been under threat from demolition was the camp’s Jungle Book Kids’ Cafe which is run not-for-profit and provides 200 meals a day, English and French classes, and asylum advice for the hundreds of vulnerable unaccompanied minors in the camp.



More than 170,000 people have signed a petition to protect the kids’ cafe. A letter sent to the Guardian said its closure “would be a catastrophe for these children, some of whom are as young as eight”.

Two charities, Help Refugees and L’Auberge des Migrants, on Friday estimated that numbers in the Jungle camp have risen to over 9,000 people – the highest ever – after a steep increase in arrivals during the summer.

