If the London anti-Olympic demo was rather tame and predictable, over in Calais things got a bit more artistic, fluid and dare-we-say-it, fun. On 28th July, a march and demo took place dubbed 'Jeux sans Frontieres' – Games Without Borders.
While the police were present all day, they exercised uncharacteristic restraint. They hung back from the 80-strong march as it snaked through town behind banners stating 'We are all migrants' and 'Nobody is illegal', leafleting bystanders. The day also included fun and games in the park complete with badminton, football and a 400m race with PAF, UKBA and CRS pretenders blocking the way to runners, obstacle course style. Later at the beach the police went out on a speedboat to get the best view of the water sports.
The marchers added their own monuments to the sickly sweet display outside the town hall which had candy-coloured sculptures reflecting the national flags of European countries. The new additions represented the colours of the non-European countries which many of Calais' migrant population hail from.
The inclusive event was designed to honour all migrants, 'champions of endurance and survival'. Given the escalation of police brutality and the frequency of evictions of migrants shelters in the last few months, all in aid of the Olympics, the demonstration's message resonated deeply with the locals, activists, migrants and association workers who took part. Roads along the route near the police station were renamed with the names of Nurdin and Ismeal, two migrants who lost their lives in Calais in recent months.
The city is, in general, on a hysterical Olympic lock-down, with the Gendarmerie camped on the outskirts, making a mockery of the authorities claims to be 'welcoming the world'. However, fears that the cops will clear the remaining sheltered areas where people are sleeping near the port have yet to materialise.