The video Calais, September 2015 – The Syrian poet – “Britaniya, Britanya” shows migrants walking along train tracks. Calais is a major hub for trains and industry, and its port used to be thriving. The Chunnel which is the train/tunnel from London to mainland Europe cuts right through Calais, and it has lowered the travel time between locations exponentially. Merging borders, the Chunnel connects the two localities and people. As the migrants walk along the train tracks, they bring attention to the fact that citizens of Europe can easily travel wherever they want, but because the migrants were driven from their homes, they do not have that freedom. The United Kingdom refused to accept migrants from Calais which is already struggling from a seasonal economy.
When the speaker narrates over the footage of the migrants, he has struggle in his voice, but laughter from the other men accompany it. He has pain and hurt in his voice. The refugee situation in Calais was not unusual, and most European cities are figuring out ways to provide asylum and support for refugees and migrants. The music that the refugees bring with them adds to the culture of the areas as they slowly assimilate and merge in the culture.
It’s unfortunate that the UK stop migration between Dover and Calais especially because it not only hurts the economy of Calais, but it will ultimately hurt the economy of the United Kingdom in Dover as well. As brexit comes to a close (probably) and the UK’s borders become tighter, there’s no doubt that this migration problem will only get worse, not only here but at all international hubs and ports in the United Kingdom.
The super confusing situation of Brexit will most likely have a huge impact on the migrant situation. Because the United Kingdom was in the European Union, I believe that France and the United Kingdom had an agreement through the EU for France to not allow migrants to travel into the UK, but because of Brexit, the future will be tumultuous and unpredictable much like Brexit, itself.