France: Protesters call for army and enforcement of curfew against refugees

After three nights of scuffles at a refugee camp in Calais, a handful of people gathered to protest against the refugees and migrants and to show solidarity with the police, as well as to call for greater security at the site, Thursday. The protesters held a banner reading "Support the police forces, firefighters and hospital workers," and complained about refugees and migrants causing "considerable damage". Another protester called for the army to be deployed and a curfew enforced on the refugees, stating that "if they want to do nothing, if they provide us no security, we will take the weapons to put them [refugees] out." Meanwhile, police officers were searching the area for escaped refugees. Thousands of migrants and refugees have settled in camps in Calais over the past year, waiting for a chance to cross the English Channel into the United Kingdom. Dozens of refugees attempting to make the trip died over the summer as asylum seeker numbers swelled during the migrant crisis. During the height of summer, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called for an extra 100 border guards operating on the French side of the Channel Tunnel, bringing the total number of guards operational to 300.