French Clear Migrant Camps In Paris And Calais

Police in Paris have cleared hundreds of migrants from a makeshift camp in the centre of the city amid protests from local leaders and residents.

More than 350 migrants, mostly from East Africa, had erected tents on an increasingly crowded pavement that has become a symbol of France's struggle to manage the rising level of people coming to Europe from across the Mediterranean.

The refugees are in legal limbo, with small chance of being granted asylum and limited chances of a job.

There have been increasing complaints from locals living in the shadow of the famous Sacre Coeur Basilica and near the international Gare du Nord railway station.

Dozens of police vehicles and rubbish collectors came into the area as the camp occupiers slowly gathered their blankets and belongings and climbed onto buses.

It is not known where they are being sent but reports say they will be taken to asylum-seeker centres.

Social worker Bruno Morel who runs homeless charity Emmaus said: "The information we got this morning is they have found solutions for all the migrants in this camp.

"Some will be placed in a centre for asylum seekers and others will be placed in social (housing) centres."

Some 300 kilometres (200 miles) to the north, police evicted around 140 migrants from two makeshifts camps in Calais, again without violent resistance.

One of the camps was very close to the Channel Tunnel, through which migrants seek to reach Britain.

The evacuation comes as the EU looks to find a collective way of dealing with the increasing amount of would-be migrants from Africa.

It has proposed that the refugees should be divided up among all 28 EU member nations to help share the burden currently being borne by Italy and Greece. Britain has ruled out being part of that.