Fights Break Out as French Police Begin Demolition Project at Calais Migrant Camp

French policemen were forced to use tear gas as fights broke out in response to the demolition project ordered for the southern portion of a migrant camp located right outside of Calais, a northern town in France.

As workers began to take a part the tents and makeshift shelters, which were the temporary homes to about 3,000 to 4,000 migrants hoping to make the journey to Britain, roughly 150 to 200 migrants and activists began throwing stones and setting the shelters on fire.

"The migrants are just going to run and hide in the woods and the police are going to have to go after them," activist Francois Guennoc of the Auberge des Migrants migrant support group noted, reported by Reuters.

The riot police were sent to protect the workers and to prevent "extremists" from trying to bully the migrants at the camp into staying. The migrants have all been offered housing alternatives or transportation to nearby centers. Those who have been resistant to the operation have claimed that there is not enough space in the new areas and that moving to these locations reduces their chances of going to Britain.

Regional Prefect Fabienne Buccio added that all of the migrants were given enough time to leave.

"Really three houses out of four - I mean three huts out of four, or three tents out of four - were already totally abandoned with a lot of garbage inside," Buccio, who was present at the start of demolition project, said. "[Migrants] had the time necessary to gather their belongings. The rest was good enough to throw away."

Buccio had ordered the evacuation and demolition of the camp earlier this month.

Last week, Interoior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve stated that authorities and humanitarian groups have been working to relocate the migrants.