French president vows to clear Paris streets of migrant camp
PARIS — French President Francois Hollande vowed Saturday to shut down a bulging migrant camp in Paris, after his government moved 5,000 people from a camp in northern France in an overdue effort to tackle the migrant crisis.
The makeshift camps in Calais on the English Channel and in the French capital have become visible symbols of the country’s struggle to accommodate migrants and refugees seeking better lives in Europe.
Hollande also urged Britain to do more to help underage migrants in Calais, a port city that has long been a magnet for desperate travellers from the Mideast and Africa seeking to reach British shores.
“We cannot tolerate camps,” Hollande said, calling the street encampments “not worthy” of France. “We will evacuate the camps in Paris, because it cannot be a long-lasting solution.”