Goodbye Calais for the last time?

I'm waiting to board the Eurostar to leave Calais and head home. It's been quite a week. A very stark realisation of what the relentless cold feels like when you can't get indoors. Again, as ever, in awe and emotional gratitude at the extraordinary sacrifice of the long term volunteers who have given up so much and who toil daily for no reward in order to help others. Many of them are so young - barely half my age in some cases.
God knows what this will all look like in years to come but the sordid news from Venice today makes me ashamed and terrified for our own humanity: a refugee drowning in the Grand Canal, in full view of tourists, and all they could think to do was take photos.
The Help Refugees warehouse itself is almost a ghost-town compared with my previous visits. It seems that operations will be scaled down next month, but with refugees again beginning to congregate in the town, I wonder what will take its place.
Tonight I feel very sad. Much more emotional than any previous time I've left. So much suffering and fear and inequality. And despite all that has been achieved this week, a sense of helplessness. The tide of hate is gaining so much momentum I just don't see how we can hold it back.

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