The Jungle, Calais

The following images were taken in the "Jungle" Calais camp in northern France; a fast growing shanty town where refugee and migrants lived whilst attempting to reach asylum in the United Kingdom. Over a 5-month period between 2015-2016, I witnessed the camp change rapidly as ripped tents were transformed into wooden shacks, which then turned into thriving community restaurants and schools. This infrastructural development was under constant danger as French authorities fought to claim control of the environment. A beautiful Eritrean church that served as a community gathering point was ruthlessly demolished, and people were constantly being evicted and moved from their plots. These changes often pressured the inhabitants to seek asylum in France instead of waiting to reach the United Kingdom. By seeking asylum in France, people had the option to enter a shipping container complex on-site, or alternatively they could be transferred to reception centres across France with little to no say over their destination.

Approximately 30 reported deaths took place in "the Jungle" in 2015, with accidents on the motorway and Eurotunnel entrance dominating the causes of death. On the 4th of July 2015, Samir, an Eritrean baby, died one hour after birth. Samir's mother had fallen from a lorry causing her to have complications and a premature delivery at 22 weeks. On 3 December 2015 a Sudanese man named Youssef, was killed by a car in a hit-and-run on the highway in Calais. Some of the following images document the vigil celebrated in Youssef's honour. The occasion was used by those in the camp to organise a peaceful, sit-down protest denouncing the conditions in the camp and a call for their human rights to be respected.

In February 2016 a court in Lille approved the French Government's petition to clear the southern section of "The Jungle" camp in Calais. Some of these images were taken as the work commenced on 1 March 2016. The French authorities claimed that 1,000 people were living in this section of the camp, but aid agencies suggest the number was much higher, with 3,455 inhabitants including 205 women and 651 children (423 unaccompanied). Although the inhabitants were given warning of the clearance, many were moved by force and subsequently found themselves with nowhere to go. Twelve shelters were set ablaze in an act of symbolic defiance.