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Update from the blockade and hungerstrike from the Syrians in Calais
Since October 3rd, about fifty people from Syria have been blocking the pathway to the port of Calais. More than twenty people went on hungerstrike. On Thursday during the afternoon when the riot police arrived two people climbed onto the roof threatening to jump if the police were trying to evict the protest. The police left for the moment.

On Thursday the Syrians demanded to speak to the british official to accept their asylum. A delegation from Britain agreed to come to Calais to speak with the protesters.

Today on Friday, there were negotiations between representatives from Britain, the prefect from Calais and the Protestors. The Syrians refused to have the negotiations in a separate room, so everyone stayed at the port.

The first round of negotiations lead to this:

• the prefect will call the french government to ask them if they can negotiate with the english government

• the proposition that all the syrian people here receive provisory papers forhumanitarian reasons (actually this is quite blurred)

• that those who want to claim asylum in france will get an almost immediateprocedure, and to negociate for their family to be able to come as quick as possible

Later during the day, the negotiations stopped untill now, we do not know if the will restart them again. The British representatives denied their responsibilities but instead appealed to the french to do their job.

The people who are protesting and the supporters in Calais asked for solidarity demonstrations in front of the english ambassies.

The communique from the protestors can be found here:

https://linksunten.indymedia.org/en/node/96514