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MIGRANT CAMP SMASHED

Dramatic moment police haul away refugees and spray them with tear gas as they break up Paris squat

The refugees from Sudan and Eritrea were dragged from the area while several fainted during the struggle with cops

THESE dramatic pictures show the moment French police used tear gas and force to break up a sprawling migrant camp in Paris.

The refugees, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, were dragged from the area while several fainted during the struggle.

A migrant struggles as he is hauled away from the camp in north Paris
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A migrant struggles as he is hauled away from the camp in north ParisCredit: EPA
The man was thrown into a police van during the dramatic crackdown
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The man was thrown into a police van during the dramatic crackdownCredit: EPA
Police officers also used tear gas to break up the illegal campsite
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Police officers also used tear gas to break up the illegal campsiteCredit: EPA
Another was led from the Avenue de Flandre site by the arms
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Another was led from the Avenue de Flandre site by the armsCredit: EPA

Groups of officers wearing body armour and armed with pistols and batons were seen carrying many of the migrants into vans.

Others grappled with police in a desperate bid to avoid be removed from the site, in north Paris's Avenue de Flandre.

The raid was the latest to occur in the capital as France attempts to crackdown on the massive influx of asylum seekers trying to reach Britain.

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Many live in temporary camps near rail stations in the city, while thousands more go straight to Calais where the so-called "Jungle" camp is located.

Last month the port city's mayor Natacha Bouchart declared the migrant camp would be "torn down" imminently.

Last March, demolition experts supported by CRS riot squads dismantled the southern half of the shanty town.

The operation involved tear gas and baton charges being used against mainly young men fleeing war and poverty from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria.

Between 4,500 and 6000 migrants still still live in the remaining northern half of the camp, according to the regional prefecture and charity groups.

Now Ms Bouchart says she has received assurances from officials close to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve that the north side will soon go the same way as the south.

French police have been cracking down on the squats in recent months
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French police have been cracking down on the squats in recent monthsCredit: EPA
The site was mostly comprised of migrants from Sudan and Eritrea
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The site was mostly comprised of migrants from Sudan and EritreaCredit: EPA
A refugee faints during the chaotic police raid today
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A refugee faints during the chaotic police raid todayCredit: EPA
Other migrants watched on as the camp was torn apart by French authorities
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Other migrants watched on as the camp was torn apart by French authoritiesCredit: EPA
Many migrants use the camps as a stopping point on the their travel to the UK
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Many migrants use the camps as a stopping point on the their travel to the UKCredit: EPA
Another migrant faints during the raid, during which tear gas was used to disperse the refugees
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Another migrant faints during the raid, during which tear gas was used to disperse the refugeesCredit: EPA

However, it is not yet clear if clearing the camp will worsen or improve the problems currently plaguing France.

Last month an Ethiopian man was killed and six mothers injured when clashes erupted on the outskirts of the camp.

A local government spokesman said migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia clashed with those from Afghanistan.

The men involved stabbed each other and hit one another with sticks. A 37-year-old Ethiopian died after being knifed in the chest, he said.

Fights often break out in the sprawling camp, home to thousands of migrants hoping to find a way across the Channel to Britain.

In May, 40 people were injured in a fight between Afghan and Sudanese migrants.

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