Spotlight: Demolition of Calais "jungle" unlikely to shield Europe from refugee crisis

France has started to tear down the shanty migrant "jungle" in northern Calais, but the move is seen highly unlikely to shelter France and the whole Europe from the surging refugee crisis.

Since 2013, hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East fled to Europe from war and poverty in their native countries, creating the continent's biggest migrant crisis since World War II.

Before being evacuated, some 9,000 migrants have been living in Calais which is located at the French end of the Channel Tunnel, hoping to sneak into Britain for a better life.

REMOVAL OF CALAIS "JUNGLE"

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told local media that "the objective (of clearance) is to find shelter for those who are seeking asylum status in France and who shouldn't be in precarious conditions, vulnerable, and in the hands of smugglers."

Television footage showed dozens of migrants line up with their suitcases and wait to be transported to 9,000 "reception and orientation centers" across France, where they will receive medical checks and start applying for asylum. The total evacuation will take at least a week.

France said migrants meeting the asylum criteria can stay in the country while those who do not will be sent home. France promised to receive 30,000 refugees over the next two years.

However, a recent Elabe poll for news channel BFMTV said 57 percent of French respondents oppose taking in more refugees.

Last week, a court in Lille announced the decision to close the migrants camp in Calais, rejecting a group of charities' request to halt the camp's closure.

"The closure aims to put an end to treatments to which migrants are currently subject," the court added.

On Sept. 25, French President Francois Hollande pledged to completely dismantle the shanty town and redistribute the migrants across the country.

SYMBOL OF EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS

The notorious camp has become a symbol of Europe's refugee crisis. For the migrants, conditions there are horrible, with limited sanitation and medical access. Women and children risk sexual violence, not to mention the commonplace brawls and deadly road accidents.

The refugees have also exposed France's security challenges, as French Interior Ministry revealed this year that a group of criminal gangs were identified to have come from the Calais "jungle."

Earlier in May, refugees from Afghanistan and Sudan had a clash in the camp injuring over 40 people. In July, an Ethiopian migrant was killed in a conflict inside the camp that houses refugees from multiple nations.

France's top administrative court in November rapped the government over the conditions in the "jungle," describing them as "inhuman."

Following several terrorist attacks against France this year, what troubles France more is the possibility that the "jungle" might become a shelter for terrorists to plot more attacks.

"The situation is not acceptable. Our objectives are clear: we must guarantee the safety of Calais citizens, maintain public order and ensure dignified conditions for migrants," Hollande stressed during a visit to Calais on Sept. 26.

He also urged Britain to take in more of the hundreds of unaccompanied minors seeking to reach relatives across the Channel before the camp is shut down.

"It is not because the United Kingdom has taken a sovereign decision (Brexit) that it frees itself from its obligations regarding France," he added.

END OF THE STORY? NOT YET

So far, Britain has taken in nearly 200 teenagers over the past week, mostly children with relatives in the country. British Interior Minister Amber Rudd also said London was contributing up to 44 million U.S. dollars towards the French operation.

However, many in France and Britain have been less impressed by the plans to resettle asylum-seekers in their communities. France has reported several arson cases targeting refugee reception centers over the latest two weeks.

As for the redistributed migrants, their ability to survive and adapt to a new life remains questionable as many of them have language difficulties and lack working skills.

"The bigger question is whether history will repeat itself once the bulldozers have done their work. As one camp is demolished, will another spring up nearby?" the AFP asked. Endi