‘Absolutely disgraceful’

Protests were held outside the French embassy in London over the weekend, after a 250 vehicle aid convoy on its way to Calais was refused entry into France.

The convoy, organised by a number of campaign groups and supported by Unite, was prevented by French authorities from crossing the channel to provide much need supplies to around 4,500 Britain bound refugees stranded near Calais.

Despite the Convoy to Calais being planned for months, the organisers received a letter from French authorities just two days before it began saying they would not be allowed to cross.

People’s Assembly representative and convoy organiser John Rees told the Guardian that the convoy had gone ahead anyway because there had been signals that Calais police “were willing to facilitate the arrival of the convoy.”

“(The letter) said there were previous disturbances at Calais refugee camp, which of course had nothing to do with us. It said there was football hooliganism in France, which has even less to do with us. It had the threat of terrorism in France,” Rees said.

“These were all cited as reasons to stop a humanitarian convoy delivering aid. But we’d also had some discussions with the charities that we’re working with in Calais saying that the Calais police were willing to facilitate the arrival of the convoy … it was uncertain whether or not they would rescind it.”

On Saturday (June 18), however, French officials stopped the cars, minibuses and lorries carrying the aid from boarding the ferries, and the convoy was held at the port of Dover for around two hours before being turned back. One lorry carrying 38 tons of aid reportedly managed to cross through the channel tunnel to deliver its load.

In response to being stopped, the convoy’s participants staged an impromptu rally at the port, with people chanting and waving signs saying “refugees welcome” and “solidarity with refugees.”

After the convoy left Dover a number of campaigners traveled to London to protest outside of the French embassy and left some of the undelivered aid on the embassy’s doorstep.

Rees said the reaction of the French authorities was particularly disappointing because aid is in short supply at the refugee camp.

“Everybody knows that in Calais they are running very low on supplies. I think at one point in recent days they were just giving out Bic razors, that’s all they have left. We’ve got the biggest single convoy of aid that’s ever been assembled in Britain — people have come from Shetland, Glasgow, from practically every major town,” he told the Guardian.

“It’s just unbelievable that they stopped it going over. We’re hoping the embassy will facilitate the aid to go through. If they’re genuine about not wanting to stop the aid, they’re a very rich state, they could offer to transport it themselves.”

Student nurse Danielle Tiplady was one of the many Unite members who were travelling with the convoy.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful that we have been stopped by authorities from delivering much needed aid,” she said.

“This is because the authorities are ashamed of how they’re treating refugees in Calais. All we’re trying to do is bring attention to their plight and offer some help to them.”