CALAIS, France (AP) – Hundreds of extreme-right activists demonstrated Sunday to “save” Calais from homeless migrants inundating the French port city in hopes of crossing the English Channel to Britain.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a few dozen far-left activists sought to disrupt Sunday’s protest, but were quickly stopped by police, out in large numbers amid rising tensions in Calais in recent weeks.
The demonstration put new pressure on Calais as the city grapples with a growing influx of migrants and mounting tensions among the desperate travelers, city officials and the port. The city’s dilemma over how to handle the migrants echoes challenges faced by authorities around Europe, as nationalist, anti-immigrant movements are enjoying rising support amid economic woes.
Tensions have simmered for years in Calais, where migrants who cross continents and seas arrive in hopes of sneaking onto trucks or ferries to Britain. The migrants, many of whom speak English, view Britain as a promised land with generous benefits for refugees – something officials say is a “myth” that must be broken.
There are an estimated 1,300 migrants in Calais, mostly from the Horn of Africa, Sudan and Afghanistan.