French police clear thousands of migrants from makeshift camp in Paris

More than 1000 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia and Afghanistan have been evicted from a makeshift camp in Paris, a day after it emerged the sprawling jungle camp in Calais is now home to more people than ever, according to the Daily Mail.

Between 1,200 and 1,400 people, mostly men, were removed from their tents near the metro stations Jaurès and Colonel Fabien in the French capital early on Friday morning.

Among the large group of men were one hundred single women, children and families who were given priority to board buses to take the migrants outside of the city to reception centers in Ile-de-France and the provinces, Le Monde reports. 

Pierre Henry, head of France Terre d'Asile, a charity that helps refugees and asylum seekers, called for other French cities to step up to the plate.

'We need (accommodation) centers in all the regional capitals, to receive the refugees and help them get their bearings, so that people are not drawn just to Paris and Calais,' he said. 

The head of the French Immigration and Integration Office, Didier Leschi, said some were passing through France and were planning to seek asylum in other European countries.

Source: MENA