Just thinking about what is happening in Calais and feel for the many people who are caught up in it – the people and their children themselves who are fleeing from countrys at war and their familys back home – hoping for them to have an opportunity somewhere safer but reallising the risks of what they are doing. The problems they have faced and are facing – are so many and so huge. It is impressive in the temporary area in Calais they have organised schools, shops, phone charging points and churches. Desperate but often very educated people.
We have heard some people are walking from the Mediterannean ports where they arrive – all the way to Calais.
Le gymnase où étaient logés femmes et enfants. Médecin du Monde y avait installé des cabines d’hygiène et toilettes.
Photographs by- http://www.lemonde.fr
Others caught up in this – are lorrys drivers, waiting outside the ports with loads they cant leave, parked up besides the roads either over here in UK or over in France in the ferry or tunnel terminals and also their familys who they are away from longer than normal.
How do the lorry drivers manage with food and washing or if they have health problems?
Haulage companys are loosing money and businesses whose food and products are being tranported and will possibly go to waste. Hopefully there are not animals in these lorrys.
Ferry ports and the tunnel, are also losing money and credability and familys on both sides of the Channel looking forward to their holidays probably are also spending hours hauled up outside the ports, frightened of being caught up with their familys in what is happening there, maybe older people frightened of being hurt by desperate people.
Other collateral damage – familys living in houses not far from the motorways where trucks are parked up for days in ‘Operation Stack’
There are no winners. Many of us originally came from somewhere else – so how can you not help?
Population Density and Applications for Asylum:
UK – 267/km2 (population of over 62 million) and applications for asylum: 30,000
Sweden – 24/km2 (population of 9 million) and applications for asylum: 50,000
Germany – 232/km2 and applications for asylum: ~110,000
US – 35/km2 and applications for asylum: ~90,000
(to put population density in perspective – the population density in India is 426/km2)
World Bank Population Density (figures above are for 2010-2014)
Asylum seekers graphics
Perhaps it is about investing in the countrys where the problems are – so people wont want to run – but in the short term perhaps it is just about the EU sitting down or a bigger organisation involving countrys outside Europe and working out a solution for offering asylum in all countrys – maybe even beyond Europe, taking into account population densitys and economy of all countrys.
Have no other answers or suggestions sadly but with most big problems – you can’t firefight – you need to find real workable solutions with compassion for all the people involved and we need to help resolve and discuss whatever the problems are in the countrys from which people are fleeing.
Wonder about the vaccumn left behind in a country where the young, fit and strong leave.
sunnypolarbear 
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