{"id":5572,"date":"2015-08-03T12:24:43","date_gmt":"2015-08-03T11:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=5572"},"modified":"2015-08-03T12:27:52","modified_gmt":"2015-08-03T11:27:52","slug":"french-riot-police-disperse-migrants-at-channel-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/french-riot-police-disperse-migrants-at-channel-tunnel\/","title":{"rendered":"French riot police spray chemicals on refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Eurotannel\"<\/a>French riot police have sprayed migrants with a chemical irritant as they tried to storm the Channel Tunnel, and the British and French interior ministers said the nightly attempts to reach Britain are part of a \u201cglobal migration crisis\u201d that needs an international solution.
\nThe migrants, who broke down several security fences late Saturday, were forced to retreat by riot police as they attempted to breach the final fence near the entrance of the 50-kilometer (30-mile) tunnel under the English Channel.
\nThe migrants, estimated to number around 200 by an Associated Press journalist, faced off for close to an hour with security forces, chanting slogans including: \u201cOpen the border\u201d and \u201cWe are not animals.\u201d
\nThousands of migrants have been scaling fences near the tunnel, often referred to as the Chunnel, in recent weeks, trying to hop on freight trains or trucks destined for Britain. One man was fatally crushed by a truck.
\nMost of the migrants have fled war, dictatorship and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, entering Europe Greece or Italy before heading north. Many think Britain offers the best prospects, because of the English language, welfare benefits and the perceived ease of getting a job.
\nThe migrant activity at the Chunnel \u2014 combined with a series of strikes by French ferry workers \u2014 have disrupted freight and passenger traffic, and spurred both governments to promise higher fences, more surveillance cameras and extra security guards.
\nIn an article published in Britain\u2019s Sunday Telegraph and France\u2019s Journal du Dimanche, British Home Secretary Theresa May and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said stopping the flow of migrants was \u201cthe top priority\u201d for both governments.
\nBut they added that the entire European Union must \u201caddress this problem at root.\u201d
\nThey said many migrants saw the streets of Europe as \u201cpaved with gold\u201d and \u201cwe must break the link between crossing the Mediterranean and achieving settlement in Europe for economic reasons.\u201d
\nThe governments are keen to show a united front on this issue, but many British politicians have criticized France for supposedly lax security at the tunnel.<\/p>\n

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