French police, funded by the British government, intercepted a small boat leaving for Britain in the Channel, using a tactic that search and rescue experts say could cause “mass casualty”. , putting the lives of vulnerable migrants at risk.
Shocking new evidence obtained by observerLighthouse Report, Le Monde and der spiegel For the first time, it has been revealed that French maritime police tried to physically force a small boat to turn around (a maneuver known as a ‘pullback’) to prevent it from reaching UK shores. did.
Newly obtained footage, leaked documents and eyewitness accounts show French authorities used aggressive tactics, including circling the migrant boat and swamping the dinghy. He rams a small boat while threatening passengers with a large tank of pepper spray. They then cut holes in boats already at sea, forcing the migrants to swim back to shore.
French authorities have previously rejected British requests to conduct interceptions at sea, saying they violate international maritime law. But since last summer, there is evidence that the use of these tactics has escalated.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to “stop boats” crossing the Channel and pledged to pay France hundreds of millions of pounds for increased surveillance and border controls to prevent people from crossing. Last Wednesday, the Rwandan government’s Security (Asylum and Immigration) Bill was defeated several times in the House of Lords, and the Prime Minister’s plans to take off flights to Kigali were postponed until after Easter.
Ministers claim the bill will act as a deterrent to all people crossing the Channel from northern France to England. The first video obtained and reviewed for the investigation shows a Dunkirk harbor police boat circling near a dinghy carrying about 25 people, creating a wake that flooded the boat.
The police boat can be seen speeding toward the dinghy, then making a sharp turn, making waves, then circling back again. Migrants can be seen wearing life vests filled with foam and trying to drain water out using their shoes.
Officials said the police patrol boat used to carry out the exercise seen in the video was operated under the Sandhurst Treaty, a border security agreement between the two countries signed at the Royal Military Academy in 2018. It has been confirmed that it was purchased by French authorities with funds provided by the British government. .
“This is a textbook backlash, exactly like what you see in Greece,” said a search and rescue expert who was shown the footage. “That single operation can cause mass casualties. “The water is deep enough to drown. I’ve seen this many times in the central Mediterranean. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this happen in the Strait.”
Evidence so far shows how Greek coastguards forced ships carrying migrants back into Turkish waters in the Aegean Sea, in some cases maneuvering at high speeds around the ships to create waves.
Two British Border Force officials admitted the tactic could cause multiple casualties. “If the blade [of the French boat] If they make contact with the ship, they will pierce it,” said one of the Border Patrol’s top operations officers.
“The other thing is a collision. The weight and force of that container could go straight over the top of the ribs, causing the passenger to pass out and fall into the water. It could even lead to death. . I can’t believe there are sailors who would allow something like this to happen.”
Maritime experts added that they would be “very surprised” if the Border Patrol and Coast Guard didn’t know these tactics were being used, with one saying, “I’m 100 percent sure someone at the top was aware of this. There should be,” he added.
A second video shows French gendarmerie officers riding alongside a speedboat dinghy about 19 miles off the French coast, threatening to use large tanks of pepper spray against the vessel carrying migrants. They then begin ramming the ship into the dinghy. “They don’t even know who’s on board, whether it’s an asthmatic person using pepper spray or a pregnant woman,” a Border Patrol official said. “It can really harm people.”
As evidence of a third salvage attempt, a complaint filed by members of the French Customs and Coast Guard with the public prosecutor’s office in Boulogne-sur-Mer alleges that on August 11, 2023, the police officers intercepted a crew member of the National Society for Salvage and Rescue (SNSM). He claims that he ordered his staff to drill a hole. A small ship that had already set sail. In an email seen in the investigation, complainant Remi Vandeplanck said the SNSM crew “clearly refused” to do so, and that the risk of drowning if they did so was “clear and obvious.” It was “imminent,” he added.
Testimony from multiple sources aboard the UK-bound small boat supports claims that French police used such tactics. “There were four of us. [French gendarmes] On a boat,” said the man from India. “They circled around the boat, stabbed it and left. I had to swim for about 10 minutes…nearly died.” February 9, 2024, Man has filed a complaint with France’s human rights ombudsman. This incident is under investigation.
A French Interior Ministry official said the British government “routinely puts tremendous pressure” on the French Coast Guard to prevent small boats from setting sail, and one French civil servant described the pressure as “intense” and “non-stop.” “Stop,” he said.
Another senior civil servant, who held the job until the end of 2020, said: “As far as the UK was concerned, the boat needed to be seized at sea. They sometimes insisted on that.”
In September last year, then Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: said in the House of Commons “The French clearly want us to do more,” he said, citing a recent trip to Belgium, where authorities were “prepared to intercept small boats leaving the coast in the water.” Stated. He further added: We encourage the French to follow this approach as small boats from Belgian waters are now very rare. ”
During a visit to the Greek island of Samos in August 2021, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel went on patrol with the Greek Coast Guard, known for its aggressive pushback in the Aegean Sea.
“She came back healthy,” said an Interior Ministry official familiar with the trip. “They were very aggressive, had a high detection success rate, and were quick in their processing methods.” [asylum seekers]. She liked their stance on ‘defending our borders’ and working with the military, although there was a perception that much of it was not legal in the UK. ”
Since 2014, the UK has allocated more than £700 million to France to prevent illegal immigration.
At a summit in March 2023, Mr Sunak announced that the UK would give France five grants over three years to fund additional border forces and equipment such as new detention facilities, video surveillance cameras, drones and night vision binoculars. He announced that he would give him 100 million pounds.
Sources at France’s interior ministry said the package marked a turning point. “This put the bilateral relationship on a contractual basis,” said a senior government official.
Last month, the UK signed a working agreement with the European Border Agency Frontex to increase intelligence sharing and deploy UK Border Force personnel to co-ordinate the Strait response.
Contacted by the investigation, France’s northern prefecture confirmed that the police boat had circled the dinghy and that the purpose of the intervention was to “dissuade passengers” from approaching the open sea, adding: “We will take action. It’s only now,” he added. This maneuver allowed them to intercept small boats and served as a deterrent. All migrants were recovered and the smugglers were arrested. ”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “An unacceptable number of people are attempting to cross the Channel and we will do whatever it takes to end this dangerous and deadly journey.” We remain committed to building on the success that saw arrivals fall by more than a third of his arrival last year.
“We have not only introduced tougher laws and agreements with our international partners, but we continue to work closely with our French partners who are working tirelessly to save lives and stop boats.”
