An Activist has spoken of her shock at the conditions facing refugees in Calais.

Iara Kaiser, from Brighton, made the trip to France last week, along with 70 others, to give aid to those who need it across the Channel.

The journey was made as part of National Refugee Week and was Iara’s third in support of Refugees in Calais.

However, speaking to The Argus, Iara said conditions are the worst they have been since she first visited in 2015.

She said: “The situation has definitely worsened over the years.

“When I first visited the camp, despite the situation not being an ideal one, these individuals at least had the solace of being surrounded by their communities, languages and customs.”

According to Iara, there had also been reports of suicide in the camp as refugees struggled to cope with day-to-day life.

She said: “Since the Jungle was razed to the ground and charities such as Help Refugees were forbidden to provide tents to anyone sleeping rough, asylum seekers and/or refugees have been abandoned and in the winter face freezing conditions.

“They have no cover from the rain now tents are forbidden and they also have no guarantee that they will ever be granted asylum by any government.”

Iara is an avid activist and demonstrator who has made a few visits to Calais to support refugees.

She has formed a number of friendships across the border and has spoken of the kindness that she has found from those in the camps.

The trip to Calais was made in support of Care4Calais, a British and French charity which is dedicated to proving support to the refugees.

This support has flooded through the camps, with several refugees now joining Care4Calais in the work they do.

Iara said: “This proves that they are empathetic to the struggle others face and are willing to offer help, even if unpaid, to provide that bit of relief that so many westerners wouldn’t go out of their way to do.”

She thinks refugees are often demonised and painted with a negative brush, unfairly.

She believes that much of this surrounds their ways of trying to get into the country but explained that most refugees have no other choice.

She said: “The reality of the situation is that there is no safe and legal route to the UK. To claim asylum in the UK, you have to be physically present in the country but there’s no other way to get here other than illegally.

“We have to inform ourselves better and remember that there is no legal alternative for them.

“They have no other option.”

Iara is also adamant that citizenship is a right, rather than a choice, and that these refugees have just as much right to be safe and secure in a country as anyone else.

She said: “We have to remember that borders are a social construct and that none of us have ‘earned’ our citizenships.

“People who were born in war torn countries or are fleeing persecution have no choice but to pursue a life safe from danger and persecution which is a human right we should all be granted.”

Iara is also planning on returning to Calais to make a documentary on the continuing crisis.

For more information on Care4Calais and the work it does, visit http://care4calais.org/