Police clear 500 migrants from camp near French port city of Dunkirk

Police moved in to clear 500 migrants from a camp near the French port city of Dunkirk, along the English Channel where many gather hoping to stow away on trucks or ferries heading to Britain, AFP reported Thursday. Around 200 officers took part in the operation which was going smoothly at Grande-Synthe, just outside the city, regional government official Eric Etienne said. Authorities estimate that 95 percent of the people at the site are Iraqi Kurds. The evacuation reflected the government’s determination not to allow new “shantytowns” along France’s northern coast of migrants trying to reach Britain, according to Etienne.