Migrants in Calais brawl with knives and iron bars… over right to smuggle people into UK
RIVAL gangs of illegal immigrants armed with knives and iron bars have brawled on the streets of Calais in a turf war over the right to smuggle people across the channel in UK-bound ferries.
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Witnesses reported that knives, metal bars and wooden truncheons were used by the two rival factions, who also set fire to several huts at a notorious migrant camp dubbed 'The New Jungle'.
The gangs, one made up of Eritreans and the other Sudanese, reportedly clashed after a row over access to the best ferry smuggling routes to England boiled over.
Calais-based newspaper Nord Littoral dubbed the brawl a "night of violence" and reported that the vicious fight lasted from midnight until around 6am this morning.
Two squads of France's fearsome CRS riot police rushed to the scene, close to the town's Jules Ferry Centre, where a vast illegal camp stretches across sand dunes into the port town.
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A pitched battled has broken out between rival gangs of migrants in Calais
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Riot police had to be called in to break up the brawl, which lasted for six hours
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The migrants used knives and iron bars in a turf war over smuggling rightsCalais is a hostage to the British - the migrants come here to get to Britain
He added: "The fighting was extremely serious, with those involved suffering flesh wounds to the head, chest and legs.
"Dozens of people were involved in the initial fight, and then smaller ones broke out all over the area."
Makeshift tents were set on fire during the fighting, forcing many of the migrants - including women and children - to flee in panic.
Around 15 people were treated for injuries at the scene whilst ten more were taken to nearby hospitals.
The horrific brawl was the second serious disturbance at the notorious migrant camp in a matter of days.
Violence erupted at the compound last Thursday night, after an Eritrean migrant was shot in the leg as he walked along a road near the camp.
In a separate incident last night an Ethopian migrant was also killed when he was struck by a car whilst walking along a busy dual carriageway in the town.
French authorities have promised to dismantle 'The New Jungle', which is the successor to another notorious camp which was razed to the ground in 2009.
However as soon as police clear one camp, another simply takes its place.
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British lorry drivers have been boycotting the French port over fears of migrant violence
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The fight broke out at the fearsome New Jungle camp in CalaisDrivers from Maru International haulage company are avoiding the French port, where thousands have set up make-shift homes since last year.
One lorry driver who uses the cross-channel routes said he is "frightened for his life" by migrants, who he saw breaking into the truck in front of him with a crowbar.
Michael Pearson, a driver for the Yorkshire-based company, said: "A group of maybe 20 or 30 people, crowbar in hand, broke the padlock off the truck in front, broke the security seal and opened the doors.
"It's only a matter of time before somebody is seriously injured, killed or windows are smashed and people are dragged out of their trucks.
"It's an unbelievable experience to go through."
The firm's managing director, Vaughan Woolfitt, said the company would now be travelling through a Belgian port to avoid the immigrants at Calais.
Calais mayor Natasha Bouchart has previously sparked controversy by stating that so many migrants camp in Calais because they are desperate to get to the UK to take advantage of its generous benefits system.
She said: "They want to go to England because they can expect better conditions on arrival there than anywhere else in Europe or even internationally.
"Calais is a hostage to the British. The migrants come here to get to Britain."
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