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France yesterday offered some 60 Syrians the right to seek asylum after they occupied a key point in the Channel port of Calais in a desperate bid to get to Britain.
The refugees, 20 of whom are on a hunger strike, have since Wednesday occupied the footbridge of a ferry terminal at Calais port - from where ships leave for Britain - to press London to accept them.
They have voiced disappointment in France, saying they were treated worse than "animals".
In a bid to end the crisis, some 50 police from the CRS anti-riot squad moved in early yesterday to try to clear the refugees from the footbridge.
However, they backed off when two refugees climbed on top of a nearby building and threatened to jump if they were approached.
The head of the Pas-de-Calais region, Denis Robin, then went to the site and offered the Syrians, currently illegal immigrants, the right to asylum.
"Today, the Syrians present here are caught in a stalemate. What we can do is to offer them a status on French territory ... in other words to make a request for asylum," Robin said.
He said each demand for asylum had "a 95 per cent chance of success", and that he was in contact with the British embassy in Paris. "We cannot take any decision on their access to Britain," Robin said. "I am not persuading them to settle in France but trying to legalise their status."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has pledged to fast-track the applications of Syrians seeking asylum.
But the protesting refugees, most of whom arrived a month ago in Calais, have voiced disappointment at the way they were treated in France.
"We thought that France was the country where human rights are respected," said Tarik, 19, from the southern city of Deraa near the border with Jordan. "But we live outside like dogs, hunted down by the police. We see we are not welcome. How can we seek asylum here?" he said.


Syrian refugees occupying bridge in French Channel port given asylum

Syrian refugees, attempting to get passage to Britain, have occupied a footbridge in the port of Calais since Wednesday. Photo: AFP

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France yesterday offered some 60 Syrians the right to seek asylum after they occupied a key point in the Channel port of Calais in a desperate bid to get to Britain.


Syrian refugees occupying bridge in French Channel port given asylum

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}France yesterday offered some 60 Syrians the right to seek asylum after they occupied a key point in the Channel port of Calais in a desperate bid to get to Britain.

France yesterday offered some 60 Syrians the right to seek asylum after they occupied a key point in the Channel port of Calais in a desperate bid to get to Britain.