New footage released by the UK Home Office shows migrants hurling projectiles at French police during an apparent attempt to launch a small boat across the English Channel.
The migrants, many wearing life jackets, were filmed confronting officers on a French beach as a large dinghy prepared to launch. Police then deployed pepper spray and moved the group away from the vessel before appearing to slash the dinghy, stopping the crossing attempt.
The incident comes as French authorities say they have stopped 185 “small boat crossing events” in the three months since the UK-France agreement was implemented. According to the figures, that represented 61 percent of attempted crossings. During the same period, however, 130 boats successfully departed despite French patrols, carrying a total of 8,916 migrants to Britain.
French authorities define stopped crossing events as cases involving the prevention of a launch, the seizure of equipment including boats, engines and life jackets, or the arrest of suspected smugglers. Additional police units, including a 50-person riot squad, have also been deployed to French beaches since the agreement was signed in April.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who recently visited French beaches, said the apparent slashing of the dinghy could represent a change in French policy. “I've seen with my own eyes and I've heard with my own ears that the French haven't been doing anything,” Philp told GB News. “Now, the fact that this particular unit appeared to be slashing the boat is different. Maybe that is a change of policy. If it is, it's welcome,” he said.
Philp added that more sustained action would be needed before judging the policy effective. “But I don't think we can take too much comfort until we see this happening not just once, but day in, day out, week in, week out, on a routine basis.”
Meanwhile, smugglers have increasingly packed larger numbers of migrants into individual vessels. Earlier this month, a dinghy carrying approximately 230 people crossed the Channel, setting a new record. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the UK-France agreement was already disrupting smuggling operations. “Through our joint work with France, we have stopped over 47,000 small boat crossing attempts since the election and we will not let up.”
The migrants, many wearing life jackets, were filmed confronting officers on a French beach as a large dinghy prepared to launch. Police then deployed pepper spray and moved the group away from the vessel before appearing to slash the dinghy, stopping the crossing attempt.
The incident comes as French authorities say they have stopped 185 “small boat crossing events” in the three months since the UK-France agreement was implemented. According to the figures, that represented 61 percent of attempted crossings. During the same period, however, 130 boats successfully departed despite French patrols, carrying a total of 8,916 migrants to Britain.
French authorities define stopped crossing events as cases involving the prevention of a launch, the seizure of equipment including boats, engines and life jackets, or the arrest of suspected smugglers. Additional police units, including a 50-person riot squad, have also been deployed to French beaches since the agreement was signed in April.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who recently visited French beaches, said the apparent slashing of the dinghy could represent a change in French policy. “I've seen with my own eyes and I've heard with my own ears that the French haven't been doing anything,” Philp told GB News. “Now, the fact that this particular unit appeared to be slashing the boat is different. Maybe that is a change of policy. If it is, it's welcome,” he said.
Philp added that more sustained action would be needed before judging the policy effective. “But I don't think we can take too much comfort until we see this happening not just once, but day in, day out, week in, week out, on a routine basis.”
Meanwhile, smugglers have increasingly packed larger numbers of migrants into individual vessels. Earlier this month, a dinghy carrying approximately 230 people crossed the Channel, setting a new record. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the UK-France agreement was already disrupting smuggling operations. “Through our joint work with France, we have stopped over 47,000 small boat crossing attempts since the election and we will not let up.”
