D.he French Prime Minister Jean Castex convened an emergency meeting with eight ministers in Paris on Thursday morning after at least 27 people drowned in the English Channel the previous evening. The victims, mostly Kurds from Iraq and Iran, also included seven women and a little girl. Two men survived in the cold water. They were taken to the Calais hospital. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin denounced the illegal activities of the smugglers in front of the hospital. Four suspected smugglers were arrested. The Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case for negligent homicide.
The death of the migrants shocked many in France. President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would not allow “the English Channel to become a cemetery”. The President addressed the governments of Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany directly, appealing to them to “strengthen border controls and open networks of smugglers”. He called for the funds of the border protection agency Frontex to be increased “immediately” in order to better protect the EU’s external borders. He also called for an emergency meeting of the EU ministers concerned to be called on the “migration challenge”.
“Expect full cooperation”
On Wednesday evening, Macron exchanged views on the phone with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Elysée Palace communiqué speaks of “shared responsibility” for the drama off the coast of Calais. “The head of state has let Boris Johnson know that he expects full cooperation from the British and that they are reluctant to exploit a dramatic situation for political purposes,” it continues. The crossing of migrants from France is a constant point of contention between Paris and London. The interior ministers of both countries wanted to exchange ideas on Thursday.
According to the police, the migrant group set out on Thursday in a rubber dinghy in Loon-Plage near Dunkirk towards the English coast. A fishing boat alerted the coast guard at around 2 p.m. France deployed two helicopters and several lifeboats. The exact number of victims was still uncertain on Thursday morning. Calais Mayoress Natacha Bouchart said she had long warned about such a drama. But the government left their inquiries unanswered. “Mafia smugglers have Calais under control”, complained the mayor in the local newspaper “La Voix du Nord”.
The Republican has long fought for the wild refugee camp “La jungle” to be cleared. On October 21, 2015, the camp was dismantled by police force and the migrants were placed in emergency rooms across France. But just a few weeks later, the migrants returned to Calais in the hope of leaving for Great Britain. The construction of the wall on the motorway to the port and the extensive safety precautions around the Eurotunnel have meant that attempts to escape via the port or the Eurotunnel have become rare.
Since 2018 the phenomenon of “small boats” has developed. Tugs organize extremely dangerous escape attempts on small inflatable boats or motor boats. 98 percent of the migrants who reach the English coast in “small boats” have applied for asylum in Great Britain, said the non-governmental organization Refugee Council. Most of the migrants come from Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Syria.
According to the French interior minister, there have been 47,000 crossing attempts since the beginning of 2021. 7,800 migrants in distress were rescued in the English Channel. 1,552 suspected smugglers were arrested and 44 networks of smugglers dug. The sporting goods manufacturer Decathlon has banned the sale of inflatable boats, canoes and kayaks in its branches in northern France. 600 police officers are constantly on duty on the Channel coast. However, a complete surveillance of the 330 km long English Channel coast is as good as impossible.
The chairman of the refugee aid organization L’Auberge de migrants, Francois Guennec, criticized the fact that the smugglers were solely responsible for the drama. He said the responsibility rests with the UK government, which has suspended family reunification and blocked all legal routes to immigration. The French government is a willing accomplice to this British policy by restricting escape routes via the Eurotunnel and the port. “France must terminate the Le Touquet Treaty and organize a real admission policy with its European partners,” said Guennec. The bilateral Treaty of Le Touquet stipulates that French officials already control the British border on French territory.
.
#Overturned #boat #English #Channel #warned #drama #long #time