Refugees Stuck in France Want Britain to Open its Borders

Calais, France:

From the Calais beach, England's Dover Cliffs are visible on a clear day as pearly dots on the horizon. The English Channel or La Manche as it's called in the French side, is the narrowest here, about 33 Kms. Migrants and refugees flock to this town in the hope of getting across through the Eurotunnel.

They walk two hours to a spot from where they can climb on to trucks and tankers which drive on to freight trains that go through the tunnel.

Yesterday, Calais camp dwellers heard about refugees being allowed to cross over from Hungary, as Austria opened up its border. Those blocked by the French police in Calais would require England to do the same but so far there has been no indication this could happen.

Aware that the world is watching them, Calais' refugees have taken to the streets with their slogan, "We want freedom!"

A 16-year-old Afghan boy tells NDTV that the French police is blocking them here but there's not enough food nor proper shelter.

"They are saying (in this protest) that we want to go to England. Everyone should get to go from here. Everyone deserves a home."  

Zacky, a young Sudanese says it's a long wait for asylum seekers as paperwork takes months. And those who make frequent attempts to cross are stressed, hungry and tired. "They get injured, when they don't die, trying to go through," says Zacky.

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A Syrian refugee holding up a large sketch of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi's photograph which made international headlines, says, "We want to go to the UK. This is not a good life."

Afghanistanis were the largest group among refugees in Europe before the Syrian conflict broke out. They say if Syrians get preferential treatment it's a good thing but then so should they.

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"People from both countries (Syria and Afghanistan) should be taken care of," says 45-year-old Zaman Asinzeh from Jalalabad.

"Because these are the two countries where the conflict is major," he added. He says there are conflicts in other regions too but says people mustn't forget that in Afghanistan it's been both deadly and long.

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Whether or not Europe will relax its asylum rules will perhaps be clearer on September 14 as European ministers meet to find a solution to the crisis.

While most are hoping the European Union will take a more humanitarian approach, many are worried fresh security measures will be announced, making things worse for them in what is already an exhausting and precarious existence.