Calais mayor bans gatherings at site of closed refugee camp

• The ban will prohibit charity organizations from distributing food, clothing, and other survival resources to migrants and refugees attempting to travel to the United Kingdom from France.
• Police have reportedly begun using teargas to break up attempts at food distribution at the site of the former camp, which was dismantled in October 2016.
• Mayor Natacha Bouchart accused such gatherings of ratcheting ethnic tensions among migrants and endangering public safety.

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“Calais mayor bans distribution of food to migrants” (The Guardian | March 2017)

“Charities slam Calais ban that could halt food aid for migrants” (Reuters | March 2017)

“Outcry after Calais mayor bans food handouts to migrants” (AFP via France24 | March 2017)

(Image Credit: Matt Dunham/AP, via The Guardian)