Official harassment won’t stop us, say Calais campaigners

Members of the Convoy to Calais were held for several hours yesterday after returning from France. But campaigner Mona D says convoy participants won’t be intimidated and will keep supporting refugees in desperate need in Calais.

Mona’s statement reads as follows:

Yesterday British border police threatened to refuse my “leave to enter” the United Kingdom. This happened after we returned from a day trip to Calais, which we spent handing out food and clothes to more than 500 refugees, along with a group of French and international volunteers. We also brought a water pump to the camp in order to clear flooding and prevent diseases from spreading.

Why was I treated like a criminal at the border? The officers in question refused to provide me with a reason for their decision. They singled me out, surrounding me with five police officers, shouting at me and threatening to confiscate my phone.

The only reason they would choose to target me is the fact that I am part of London2Calais, a group of volunteers from the UK helping refugees stranded at the border. The British government hates us because what we do puts them on the spot. They routinely violate international law and European Union law by refusing refugees asylum and deporting them to countries where their lives are at risk.

If they think we will be intimidated by police repression, they are wrong. We have done nothing illegal. Offering food and clothes to someone in need is not a crime, and we will not back down.

I’d encourage everyone who has followed the campaign so far to please get involved  –  we need more hands on deck and more money to buy food and essential supplies. Please share, donate and get in touch via our Facebook page if you’d like to get involved.

For more information see the London2Calais Facebook page.

The next Calais convoy will be in October – please donate via their Indiegogo page