Now migrants get a 'VIP club'

UK-BOUND migrants were yesterday massing in their own comfy members-only club in Calais before making their bid for Britain, the Daily Express can reveal.

As migrants queue to enter Britain they now have a departure lounge to stay in As migrants queue to enter Britain, they now have a 'departure lounge' to stay in

French charities have helped to create a virtual “departure lounge” for illegal immigrants heading across the Channel, offering them rest and recreation before they complete the final leg of their journeys.

Our investigators gained access to the illegal “Sangatte II” centre and exclusive photographs show it bears a closer resemblance to a holiday camp than a shelter for the homeless.

One observer said: “They are being treated like VIPs.”

The converted warehouse, just a short walk from the town’s port, offers migrants a range of amenities, from relaxation rooms with a piano, a cinema and sports hall for indoor games like table tennis and football to even a makeshift disco for dancing.

The centre – which bears a huge “Welcome To All” banner – was officially closed down 12 days ago by riot police after Calais authorities deemed it unfit for public use.

And last night the CRS riot squads returned – forcing the migrants and activists out using batons and shields. But it is expected they will just move back in.

The charities SOS and the No Borders Network got round prohibition by opening it as a private space for members, declaring: “All migrants and activists inside the hangar have official membership.”

The organisers have also painted the text from Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a sign warning that any attempt to close it down could face a challenge in the courts.

Politicians and campaigners were furious at the latest failure by the French to tackle the problem of illegal migrants using Calais as a jumping off point for Britain.

Lord Pearson, UKIP leader, said: “This is a classic case of European Human Rights legislation being used in a way that goes contrary to common sense justice.

“No migrant moves to Calais for the beaches, they are there purely and simply to enter the UK, in most cases illegally. The half-cock approach of the French authorities will merely result in ever-increasing numbers of people suffering awful conditions, and these charities, while attempting to make things better for some, merely encourage more problems for many.”

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This is a transparent attempt to establish yet another base for people who want to sneak into Britain illegally.

“The French authorities should deal with this issue properly.”

Express investigators yesterday mingled with around 50 young men who had taken up residence at the converted warehouse, called by the charities the Kronstad Hangar after the road it is on. French officials had ordered it closed earlier this month, fearing it would turn into another Sangatte – the former Red Cross centre which was a magnet for migrants before being demolished in 2002.

But after the mass eviction earlier this month, all of the migrants inside were set free, with no attempt to arrest them or return them to the country from where they had entered France, in line with EU guidelines.

Instead metal barriers were used to guard the hangar. Yesterday they were simply cast aside, as charity volunteers and left-wing activists moved back inside the building.

“We’re here because we need a roof over our heads,” said one, an Afghan called Mansoor. “Our aim is to get to England, but we need warmth and a place to sleep while we are in France.”

The hangar had been rented by SOS, a local refugee and homeless charity, supported by the No Border Network, a militant group campaigning for frontier controls between France and Britain to be scrapped.

It is available to all those playing cat-and-mouse with the police as they try to board ferries and trains to England.

A spokesman for Calais Migrant Solidarity, which No Border activists have formed when taking part in action at the French port, said the hangar is open for migrants from 10am to 6pm.

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