MANCHESTER-based charity RAPAR have sent an open letter written by Calais Jungle refugees to David Cameron.
RAPAR is a charity working with refugees and displaced people who went to the French refugee camp known as the Jungle in March and documented camp conditions.
The open letter was sent by recorded delivery on April 7 2016, since then the charity haven’t received any communication from the Prime Minister or his representatives.
Dr Rhetta Moran of RAPAR said: “We have heard nothing further since no 10 signed for receipt of the open letter.”
Dated March 31 2016 the letter was signed by camp residents from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, India, Kuwait and the Kurdish.
It begins by explaining that despite Britain spending millions of pounds each year on securing its borders it has not been able to control those borders effectively.
The open letter reads: “Are you able to stop Refugees from coming to the UK? No. People are going to the UK illegally because the British Government has blocked the legal ways.
“The only thing that this use of British taxpayer’s money is doing is empowering the Traffickers.”
According to the letter there are a minimum of 8000 refugees in France and every month 500-700 people are reaching the UK from France, illegally.
The letter went on to explain the dangers refugees face in trying to reach Britain illegally. It reads: “The people staying here in the ‘Jungle’ are risking their lives to get to the UK. They are putting themselves in danger, waiting for many months, illegally, and, if they can find the money, spending 8 to 10 thousand pounds to reach Britain.”
According to Calais Migrant Solidarity there is no accurate count of how many people have died making the journey to the UK from Calais.
Border solutions have also been put forward in the letter. It said: “We understand that you might be frightened about terrorists coming to the UK. Therefore an asylum system in place, here in France, here in Calais, where Refugees can apply for asylum in the UK, from here. This is the solution.”
The letter has been brought to light in the same week that House of Lords Amendments to the Immigration Bill 2015-2016, were voted against by the government.
The Immigration Bill and subsequent amendments came as a direct result of the European refugee crisis that has formed since civil war broke out in Syria.
Those amendments included the UK accepting 3000 unaccompanied refugee children from camps including the Calais Jungle.
Video Gallery showing conditions in the Camps and Evictions:
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By Abigail Frazer
@frazer_abigail
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