Up to 3,400 refugees face having their homes demolished in shanty town
French court to rule this afternoon after migrant groups appealed eviction
A judge and other officials visited site today to see conditions themselves
Sudan migrant: 'I don't want to leave because I'll be further from England'
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/judge-considers-last-minute-reprieve.html
Thousands of migrants are facing eviction from their homes in France's Jungle camp today unless a judge grants them a last-minute reprieve.
Emotions were running high this morning as a deadline loomed for the destruction of half the 'Jungle' migrant camp in Calais.
Residents in the southern half of the grim shanty town have been given until 8pm local time (7pm GMT) today to quit their makeshift homes or face bulldozers being sent in tomorrow.
But many are refusing or unable to move.
Praying for good news: Refugee organisations are pinning their hopes on a court hearing due to take place in Lille this afternoon after challenging the eviction order
John, a 28-year-old Sudanese migrant, said: 'I don't have anywhere else to go.
'We don't want to leave Calais because we don't want to get further away from England, which is still our goal.'
Refugee organisations are pinning their hopes on a court hearing due to take place in Lille this afternoon after challenging the eviction order.
A French judge and other officials visited the camp earlier today to see conditions for themselves before making a ruling on whether the eviction should go ahead.
The issue has played into the fraught discussions about Britain's possible exit from the EU, with France under pressure to stop refugees trying to board lorries and ferries to cross the Channel.
Some British opponents of 'Brexit' say they would lose the ability to call on France to stop the flow of refugees if Britain leaves the EU.
Up to 1,000 people who have fled war, poverty and persecution are reported to be affected by the plans, but aid workers say the figure could be much higher.
The Help Refugees charity said it carried out its own analysis showing there were 3,455 people living in the affected part of the Jungle who faced being 'evicted from their homes in the midst of winter, without sufficient alternative accommodation on offer'.
A spokeswoman said: 'Our concerns remain with welfare of the unaccompanied minors.
'We have had no assurances from the French authorities that they will conduct assessments to determine best interests of these children and ensure proper safeguarding is in place before removing them from the camp and the communities they know and trust.
'We urge them to delay the demolition of the southern section of the camp until these needs are met... our concerns will be heard at the court in Lille.'
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the eviction would be done 'progressively, by persuasion and with respect for people's dignity'.
Some British opponents of 'Brexit' say they would lose the ability to call on France to stop the flow of refugees
The evicted migrants have been offered heated accommodation in refitted containers set up next door to the Jungle.
But many are reluctant to move there because they lack any communal spaces and movement is restricted.
They have also been offered places in around 100 accommodation centres spread around France.
At the weekend, actor Jude Law and singer Tom Odell were among famous faces who took to the stage at the camp in Calais to raise the plight of refugees.
They were joined by actress Juliet Stevenson and comedian Shappi Khorsandi at the Letters Live event.
It came after 145 celebrities including Idris Elba, Helena Bonham Carter and Benedict Cumberbatch wrote an open letter calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to help save children based there.
They want the Government to step in and allow unaccompanied children living in the camp to be reunited with their families in the UK.
Meanwhile, Eurotunnel has asked the British and French governments to reimburse it £22million (€29m) for lost revenue during the cross-Channel migrant crisis.
The Chunnel operator faced heavy disruption to its services last summer as migrants based at the Jungle made repeated bids to reach Britain.
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