Reacting to the doubling of inhabitants and suggesting that the camp had become a town in its own right Natacha Bouchart told Radio Monte Carlo: "Perhaps we need to bring in the army?
"Maybe the army should come and watch over this place?"
Militarizing the approach towards the refugee crisis is spreading across the EU; Slovenia has become the latest country to announce its intentions to draft in the army to deal with the number of people attempting to enter it after refugees were forced to re-route when Hungary fenced off its borders with razor wire.
Welcome to "the jungle" — Calais migrant camp of Eritreans, Sudanese, Kuwaitis, Iraqis, Syrians and more pic.twitter.com/UwnqsTnHvg
— Matthew Price (@BBCMatthewPrice) October 16, 2015
And fencing off borders from refugees isn't confined to Eastern European countries. Britain has pledged US$10.8 million for extra security measures including new fences around the Channel Tunnel entrance.
Yet the Calais mayors' stern words appear to be ignored by the British government.
Bourchart recently told British MPs she was "disgusted" by Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to only extend the UK's offer of asylum to people living in Syria.
"Understand the position we've been in for the last 15 years. If he [Cameron] doesn't take refugees from Calais, that is proof that he is contemptuous of the population of Calais.
"Less than 10 percent want to stay in France", Bouchart told the committee.
"All the others want to come to England and we are going round and round in a circle.
"Even if we opened up 50,000 places in France they would not claim asylum in France."
Around 750 police officers have been deployed in Calais and the surrounding area to try and prevent refugees and migrants from attempting to cross Britain in trucks, ferries or through the Channel Tunnel.
The suggestion that the French army should be deployed in the camp is, according to the mayor of Calais, to reassure residents — but it could also help spread the message across Europe that militarizing the approach to the refugee crisis is more preferable than a humanitarian one.
Sixteen people have died so far this year in their attempt to reach the UK from France.
