Two protests happened in Dover in the UK over the weekend. One in support of migrants passed off relatively quietly and a second one protesting against the arrival of migrants across the English Channel resulted in clashes between protesters and police.
The number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel on small boats has increased dramatically following months of good weather and a fall in freight traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. InfoMigrants visited the 80 kilometer-long stretch of coastline in the Calais region as the numbers of boat crossings hit a new daily high, with 416 migrants reaching the UK on September 3.
As part of a social program, French pensioner Antoine Boulanger in February opened up his home to Malian teenager Bakary. But after just a month of living together, France went into lockdown because of the coronavirus, and the two started to bond – in part thanks to their common interest in science.
Four years ago, Amadou Diallo arrived in Greece as a 16-year-old unaccompanied child from Guinea. Since arriving he has fought hard for his education and the right to asylum. Finally, at the end of July, after several failed attempts he was granted not only the right to asylum in Greece but with it, the path to take up a university scholarship in Paris.
George Floyd's death in the US has sparked renewed protests against racism and police behavior towards minorities in France. Despite minor concessions, those in power continue to deny the country has a problem with race.
French authorities insist they had reason to cut back on ADA cards – which give asylum seekers access to benefits – during the COVID-19 lockdown. They also say the right to the ADA has been extended to July because of the health crisis.
Koumba, from Guinea, arrived in France at the end of 2017 along with her two daughters, then aged two and four. She hoped to spare them the traumatic experience of female circumcision and wanted to offer them a good education. Two and a half years later, she says she has lost all hope for her future in France.
A court in the French city of Lyon has scrapped all charges against Cedric Herrou, a farmer in southern France who had helped about 250 migrants cross the border to France from Italy in 2015 and 2016. His case became synonymous with the term “crimes of solidarity.”
French police have arrested an Afghan national following the brutal murder of a prominent activist in northern France who helped migrants. The 63-year-old was bludgeoned to death.
To combat the coronavirus pandemic, many European countries have gone into lockdown. People can no longer move around freely, and many administrative services have been significantly reduced. How is this affecting asylum seekers in Italy, Germany and other countries across Europe? InfoMigrants asked its Facebook users.
The community center in the French village of Cloître-Saint-Thégonnec in Brittany serves as an “alternative school” for migrants and asylum seekers. The students at the center learn everything from French, mathematics and science to the local Celtic language, Breton. The classes, which are offered by volunteers, help the migrants integrate into French society. InfoMigrants went to visit.
A camp in the north of Paris was cleared by French police on Tuesday morning. Police said it was the "last one" to be cleared in the city. The more than 420 residents of the camp were taken to halls and welcome centers around the capital.