When the refugees came we were unprepared. They gathered
at Calais and waited, seeking out every chance to join the transports. Lorries,
ferries, even private cars became part of the fleet. It was impossible to
document all of them, the numbers were too great. A trickle became a steady
stream and the stream was beginning to burst its banks. Many of the ‘migrats’,
as they were often referred to, had no papers, having fled violence in their
country of origin, but all of them were in need of sanctuary. And where else to
go to than the land they had heard so much about?
Across the English Channel there was the opportunity to
start a new life; for many it was a chance to be reunited with loved ones who
had made the crossing in earlier years. But now attitudes were beginning to
harden. At first the border had been completely open; then it had become less
easy to negotiate but still remained porous. Now, however, the sheer weight of numbers
made it impossible for all to pass through without delay and they huddled in
the resettlement camps awaiting their turn.
Once the emphasis on the part of the French authorities
had been to detain migrants and dissuade them from continuing their journey.
But now their main role was to shepherd the masses and marshal them into groups
for processing, the better to maintain the flow; as fast as ferries could dock
they were being loaded with foot passengers bound for freedom and for a better
life.
Until Brexit, Britain had been a part of the European
Union and although never party to the Schengen agreement, getting to this green
and promised land had proved an eminently surmountable obstacle. But since
secession, access to the UK had become an even more desirable goal and the thousands
had to patiently wait their turn. For some the days had turned into weeks and
for many the camp had become home. In a few cases it was the only home they had
ever known and the Red Cross field hospital, initially set up to treat injury
and disease, had become an ersatz maternity ward.
The next great migration
Of course, nobody wanted to give birth on the French side
if they could help it; they wanted their children to be English born, free born,
and they came to Calais from all over the continent to make their bid for a new
life away from the war zones. Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Rome, even Brussels itself
had become impossible places to live. As the islamic call to prayer rang out
day and night and the infrastructure began to fall into disrepair, the white
Europeans headed for the only sanctuary left in Europe.
