Calais Action
{{Short description|UK refugee aid and advocacy group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Calais Action is a direct-giving refugee aid and advocacy group which is part of the UK grassroots aid movement.{{cite web|url=https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/calaisaction|title=CALAIS ACTION on MyDonate|publisher=}}
Background
In 2015, the refugee crisis became front-page news across the world.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/10/10-truths-about-europes-refugee-crisis|title=10 truths about Europe's migrant crisis|date=10 August 2015|last1=Kingsley|first1=Patrick|website=The Guardian|access-date=13 May 2016}} Affected by images of the plight of refugees in camps across Europe, the grassroots aid movement (otherwise known as the people-to-people, or people solidarity movement) consisting of thousands of private individuals with no prior NGO experience began in earnest to self-organise and form groups taking aid to areas of displaced persons.{{cite web|url=http://www.calaidipedia.co.uk/the-uk-grassroots-movement|title=History of the Calais Movement - Calaid-ipedia|publisher=|access-date=2016-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424102322/http://www.calaidipedia.co.uk/the-uk-grassroots-movement|archive-date=2016-04-24|url-status=dead}}
Calais Action's founder, Libby Freeman, visited Calais in July 2015 with a van of donated items.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/20/van-calais-migrants-help-homemade-humanitarian-mission|title=A homemade humanitarian mission: what it's like to take donations to Calais|first=Carmen|last=Fishwick|date=20 August 2015|publisher=|newspaper=The Guardian}} Upon returning, she founded direct-giving group Calais Action in August 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/refugee-charity-sets-up-fundraising-page-to-raise-money-every-time-they-are-trolled/|title=We Spoke To The Charity That Turns Troll Comments Into Donations|date=27 January 2016|publisher=}} Newspaper coverage and TV interviews inspired a wave of interest from the public.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/sep/11/live-qa-amateur-aid-workers-what-can-ngos-learn-from-them|title=Live Q&A: Amateur aid workers - what can NGOs learn from them?|first=Rachel|last=Banning-Lover|date=11 September 2015|publisher=|newspaper=The Guardian}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0322vw4|title=Libby Freeman explains why she takes aid to migrants in Calais, 10/09/2015, Stuart Linnell at Breakfast - BBC Radio Northampton|date=10 September 2015 |publisher=}}{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/2015-08-19/what-its-really-like-in-the-calais-migrant-camps/|title=How one Briton went to join others helping migrants in Calais camp|date=19 August 2015|publisher=ITV}} As a result of the press coverage, many people contacted Freeman wanting to help, and so a group of individuals nationwide was created, where aid was collected in local drops and delivered to Calais, Hungary and the Greek Islands.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trollaid-how-a-calais-charity-is-using-online-abuse-to-raise-money-to-help-refugees-a6839111.html|title=How one charity is using Twitter trolls to raise money for refugees|website=Independent.co.uk|date=28 January 2016|publisher=}}
After the publication of photos of Aylan Kurdi, the drowned child refugee on a Turkish beach in August 2015 in news outlets worldwide, public support and sympathy for refugees peaked, and Calais Action's map of UK-wide aid drops was used in the Guardian to direct concerned readers.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/03/refugee-crisis-what-can-you-do-to-help|title=Refugee crisis: what can you do to help?|first=Matthew|last=Weaver|date=3 September 2015|publisher=|newspaper=The Guardian}} Following the huge public response, over 8,000 square feet of aid was collected and sent from the Calais Action warehouse in London to Northern France, Hungary, and the Greek Islands.{{cite web|url=http://lordrogerroberts.uk/calais-action-our-story/|title=Calais Action: Our Story – Action for humanity|publisher=|access-date=2016-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306034946/http://lordrogerroberts.uk/calais-action-our-story/|archive-date=2017-03-06|url-status=dead}}
Demolition of Calais Jungle
When the Calais Jungle was partially demolished by French authorities in March 2016,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/french-authorities-begin-clearance-of-part-of-calais-jungle-camp|title=Calais 'Jungle' camp: clashes as authorities demolish homes|first1=Angelique Chrisafis Peter|last1=Walker|first2=Ben|last2=Quinn|date=1 March 2016|publisher=|newspaper=The Guardian}} it was found that 129 unaccompanied minors in the camp there were unaccounted for.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/calais-jungle-unaccompanied-children-refugee-camp-demolition-minors-a6965216.html|title=Jungle Camp in Calais: 129 unaccompanied children missing since refugee camp demolition|last=Independent|website=Independent.co.uk|date=25 May 2019|publisher=}}
In October 2016, the remaining Jungle camp was demolished and residents dispersed. Volunteers from Calais Action appeared in TV and radio coverage of the event, correcting essential details and misinformation (such as the idea that all inhabitants had been evacuated before the fire). This footage was also used as part of the documentary Calais Children: A Case to Answer, which was shot during demolitions, covering the plight of minors left stranded by the authorities.{{cite web|url=http://calais.gebnet.co.uk/|title=CALAIS CHILDREN: A CASE TO ANSWER|publisher=}}
Campaigning
Calais Action campaigns in Parliament to provide more safe and legal routes for refugees, and supported the Dubs Amendment to the Immigration Bill, created by Labour peer Alf Dubs to allow 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees into the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/03/doesn-britain-refugee-children-160329071210733.html|title=Why doesn't Britain want to take refugee children?|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/unaccompanied-refugee-children-disappear-uk-care-a6988336.html|title=Hundreds of unaccompanied refugee children are disappearing from British care|website=Independent.co.uk|date=17 April 2016|publisher=}} The Dubs Amendment was defeated on its first passage through the Commons on 25 April 2016,{{cite news |last=Mason |first=Rowena |date=26 April 2016 |title=Labour says 'fight will go on' after Tories vote down child refugee plan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/25/tories-vote-against-accepting-3000-child-refugees |newspaper=The Guardian |publisher=}} but a later revision of the Amendment was submitted to the Commons and was passed on 9 May 2016 after both David Cameron and Theresa May conceded in the face of public pressure. However, the Dubs scheme was capped at 480, far short of the 3,000 children that it was intended to benefit.
Currently, Calais Action is part of the House of Lords refugee focus group Action for Humanity,{{Cite web |title=KAKAKSLOT88: Link Login Abah Zeus Slot Dan Daftar Akun Demo Slot Zeus 1000 |url=https://lordrogerroberts.uk/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=lordrogerroberts.uk |language=id-ID}} the Refugee Task Force INGO group and the Safe Passage campaign group lobbying for safe and legal routes to asylum such as the Kindertransport Legacy Campaign.{{cite web|url=http://refugeehistory.org/blog/2018/5/11/the-kindertransport-legacy-campaign|title=The Kindertransport Legacy Campaign|website=Refugee History.|date=11 May 2018 }}
Volunteers have spoken at the UNHCR{{cite web|url=http://calaisaction.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-happened-when-calais-action-spoke.html|title=What Happened When Calais Action Spoke At The UNHCR|publisher=}} and ALNAP humanitarian conferences{{cite web |title=31st ALNAP Annual Meeting Programme |url=https://www.alnap.org/system/files/content/resource/files/main/alnap-31-annual-meeting-programme-%5Bdigital%5D.pdf |website=ALNAP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526041233/https://www.alnap.org/system/files/content/resource/files/main/alnap-31-annual-meeting-programme-%5Bdigital%5D.pdf |archive-date=2018-05-26 |url-status=live}} to provide a grassroots perspective to INGOs and aid workers.
Calais Action continues to send aid to Europe and raise awareness of refugees and the necessity for safe and legal routes to asylum.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/toddlers-babies-northern-france-sleeping-rough-calais-migrants-europe-eu-borders-a7824816.html |title=Toddlers and babies forced to sleep rough in northern France amid rise in refugees |publisher=Independent|date=6 July 2017}}
Legal
Calais Action is a Restricted Fund under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund, Registered Charity number 1099682.{{cite web|accessdate=2018-03-29|title=Home - Prism Fund|url=https://prismthegiftfund.co.uk|website=Prism Fund}}