An Afghan man has recalled the moment a migrant “tore off” one of his own fingers at the sprawling ‘Calais Jungle’ in northern France. Mohamad Shahab Rassouli said there were “many difficult moments” at the huge makeshift camp as he reflected on a decade since its closure.
At its peak, around 10,000 migrants planning on reaching Britain — mainly as stowaways on lorries via the Port of Calais or Channel Tunnel — were living in the Calais Jungle. The illegal site was demolished in October 2016, with migrants moved to reception centres in different areas across France.
However, its closure has done little to deter migrants from attempting to illegally reach the UK, with small boats now the main way of crossing the Channel. Mr Rassouli, who arrived in Calais in 2009 as an unaccompanied child, revealed some of the horrors he saw at the Jungle while staying there.
“I saw a man throw himself under a train, another lose his hand, and someone else tear off one of his own fingers,” he told the InfoMigrants news website. Natacha Bouchart, mayor of Calais since 2008, described “complete anarchy” at the Jungle and “several serious incidents”.
She said: “Crowds of 500 to 600 migrants would spill onto the port ring road and try to board the ferries. There were also frequent fights.”
However, others had more positive memories of the Jungle. Humanitarian worker Michel Tranchant said: “There were restaurants, hairdressers, a sauna, a church, a mosque and even a disco. We would dance to African music and then go and eat at one of the Afghan restaurants.”
Another person told InfoMigrants it was their “second home” and even celebrated their birthday there. Migrant camps have been in Calais since the late 1990s.
The first Jungle was created in 2002 but bulldozed in 2009. The second Jungle began forming in 2014, before its demolition in October 2016.
Inhabitants were from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Eritrea. Recorded Channel small boat crossings are at their lowest since 2021, with 20,935 arrivals so far this year.
