The legal case against 8 squatters in Calais who attempted the first occupation since the destruction of most of the jungle (see here and here for previous reporting), was thrown out of court on Friday for procedural irregularities amid a roar of applause.
These technical irregularities included the fact that during the initial 24 hours in custody, the arrestees were not informed of their rights, including their entitlement to an interpreter, a lawyer, or a doctor, or their right to contact someone outside. The ‘irregularities’ also include the fact that on Wednesday, three of the five people who had been detained in prison, were unable to be transported to the court hearing because of a lack of staff and organisation. The court set up a video-conference instead. Lawyers for the defence criticised the excessive police presence that dominated the court room. The three who were not present said that they wanted to stand trial in person, and that the incompetence of the state meant that they could not be. This resulted in their release from prison and the postponement of the trial until Friday. The eventual charges that were laid against them were for criminal damage to the building and for refusing to give their DNA, fingerprints and photos.
On Friday, the court acknowledged the many irregularities in the way the arrests were carried out and threw the case out of court. Waiting outside were a group of border cops (PAF) waiting to take the five non-French defendants to detention after having been served with an immediate Obligation de Quitter la Territoire Français (an order to leave France immediately for being a serious threat to the fundamental interests of the country) on Wednesday. An appeal had been lodged against the order, but these people had nonetheless already managed to escape, and were not present to appreciate the announcement of their victory in court.