The British backlash against allowing a portion — about 24 — of the 1,200 refugee children from the Calais camps to come into the country is a further example of the gross xenophobia that has been allowed to flourish in Britain for far too long. A nasty and brutish anti-foreign bigotry has dominated government policy as ministers and officials have betrayed their country’s liberal traditions. It is important to remember that many of the 7,000 refugees have education and experience in their chosen professions. Fate has dumped them in France, where they have a legal right to live, but they are seeking to move to Britain through legitimate means, if possible, although many have tried to sneak into the country to claim refuge.
It is a disgrace that the camp in Calais has existed since 1999, even though the French and British authorities have had every opportunity to examine the applications for residence in Britain. If they were found valid, they would be allowed to move to Britain. Otherwise, they would stay in France. The Anglo-French joint refusal to act is a stain on the European conscience.
After the French declared that they would demolish the makeshift camps where the refugees have been living, the British finally agreed to look at some of the refugees’ cases, starting with unaccompanied minors. It is not a great surprise that some of the children have lied about their age — after years of living in the chaos of the Jungle — as the Calais camps are known — anybody would lie. What is more important is why has Britain not yet agreed to process all applicants or agreed to take them all on humanitarian grounds?
