A church and mosque in France’s
“jungle” camp for migrants and refugees have been destroyed, despite
authorities’ reportedly promising not to demolish the places of worship.
Bulldozers moved into the camp in
Calais, the departure point for ferries to Great Britain, on Monday (Feb. 1)
and tore down the mosque, which reportedly drew up to 300 worshipers each day,
and St. Michael’s Church, a makeshift chapel serving mainly Orthodox Ethiopian
Christians.
Residents of the camp were given
just a few minutes to collect their belongings before the demolition
took place
around 9 a.m. local time, the charity Help Refugees UK reported.
“Devastated residents watched the
destruction,” the charity wrote on its Facebook page. “The bulldozers are
currently tearing down the Church, while residents scramble to rescue what they
can from the building.”
“There was just time for a last
minute prayer before the machinery tore in,” it reported in an update. “The
pastor stood by in dignified silence, clutching the remaining cross from the
Church roof.”
Images published online by the
charity were said to show Christians praying in the remains of the church, and
one man standing holding the buildings cross.
The so-called jungle camp has
become one of the focal points of Europe’s migration crisis; more than 1
million people arrived in the region by sea last year. The majority were from
the world’s top refugee-producing countries, according to U.N. figures.
French authorities started
dismantling the French camp in January, moving up to 1,500 residents into
converted shipping containers. Despite the broader plans, Help Refugees UK said
there was no warning that places of worship were to be destroyed.
Photo credit: Christian Headlines
Source: Christian Headlines
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