French police 'torture' fuels.Channel crossings record

Migrants say increased aggression led to 711 arrivals in a day

- HOLLY BANCROFT

Migrants say they are being driven to attempt Channel crossings by increased aggression from French police – funded by Britain – who force them to move on from their camps every 48 hours.

Refugees living in makeshift camps in Dunkirk said police were dispersing them every two days, and that every 10-12 weeks police in riot gear destroy their whole camp. A record 711 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Wednesday – in a blow to Rishi Sunak’s plan to dissuade migrants from making the dangerous journey to Britain.

One Afghan refugee told The Independent how the constant destruction by police of camps was making him and others increasingly desperate to reach the UK. He said: “I have to go to the UK because France is not accepting us. The worst is that every few weeks the police are coming and destroying our tents and blankets everything, and then we just have nothing in the rain. I just want to work and have a safe life. We want a peaceful life, we hope we can have that in the UK because we do not have it here. Why this endless torture of ripping apart our tents every few weeks?”

Charity workers explained that they had seen an increase in police aggression in the past six months, which they said was forcing migrants to make more risky attempts at Channel crossings.

Mr Sunak announced in March 2023 that Britain would give France £500m over three years to fund border guards, as well as video surveillance cameras, drones and night-vision binoculars. This kit is being used by police officers on the beaches when they try to force migrants away from small boats at night. Migrants reported police slashing boats to stop them launching, or flying helicopters and drones low to the ground to scare them away.