Syrian refugees end protest in France

CALAIS, France, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A group of 60 Syrian nationals seeking asylum in Britain ended their protest in a French port after being denied passage, officials said.

Members of the group had said they thought they wanted to settle in France but since arriving, they've been treated "worse than animals" with French police targeting them and being forced to live outside.

After their treatment in France, the group stated they wanted to go to Britain but the British government denied them passage to seek asylum after taking over a ferry staging area in Calais since Wednesday, Skynet News said Saturday.

British officials said they would consider individual requests for asylum but refused to take the group of 60 refugees together.

Two members of the group climbed to the roof of the building and threatened to jump if their demands weren't met. Another 20 were said to be on a hunger strike, officials said.

In the end, the group dispersed peacefully. French officials said they would fast-track their asylum applications after the protest began but were rebuffed.

Now, French police said, they suspect the individuals will live on the streets illegally and may eventually seek safe passage to Britain as undocumented aliens.

Though France has said it would accept Syrian refugees looking for political asylum, only about 850 applicants of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians have gone there, the United Nations said.