I spent this weekend volunteering at the refugee camps with Care4Calais through the NEU. The only way to describe the experience is heartbreaking. We distributed over 350 coats to refugees in the pouring rain and winds strong enough to knock people off balance. Many of the people we spoke to had no coats, jumpers and were wearing sandals and flip flops as they did not have any footwear. Yet, despite the hardship I was honestly astounded by how positive and generous so many of the people I saw to were.
I spoke to some of the most incredible people from Iran, Sudan, Senegal, Egypt, Iraq and many more. They were fleeing some of the most horrendous persecution and each and every one of them wanted nothing more than to work and to improve their lives.
The day before we arrived, one of the refugees had unfortunately passed away in his tent, and the French had bulldozed a number of the camps with no warning, destroying many of these people’s entire possessions, including their only photos of their families. On the Sunday we visited a former camp full of children’s toys and shoes – this was where Kurdish families had been before being cleared out and scattered across France.
Two people particularly stood out to me. One, an incredible man from Senegal, who worked so hard every day to ensure that the warehouses were organised and that people could fairly receive their donations. He was always the last to sit down and eat and the first to get up and help. Despite the awful experiences, all he wanted to do was help his friends. Another, a man from Iran who spoke beautifully about his love for Britain. He was fleeing huge amounts of persecution and spoke of how it would be the happiest moment of his life if he could get a job in England teaching English to other Iranian refugees.
These people are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and it is outrageous and unacceptable that our government has sent £55m to France to fund the police that brutally and violently repress talented and caring people who want nothing more than to have a life free from persecution. It beggars belief that we allow this to happen on our borders.
While I do encourage people to volunteer time, give donations and to talk about the conditions at the camps, all of these solutions only provide temporary relief. Without real change of government and challenge to the untrue, damaging narrative that refugees are a threat to our way of life peddled by Farage, Johnson and the like, there will not be a long term solution. Please join me in helping create a better society and protecting those most in need of our support.
NEU Executive news for Wales by Mairead Canavan 