Just in time for the State visit of Emmanuel Macron to the United Kingdom, French authorities have pushed for "a change in intervention doctrine" in the English Channel, in the words of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has made a tough stance against illegal immigration his battle cry.
Images captured by the BBC and AP agency have illustrated the true extent of the tactical change: French police, who previously only intervened in the water if they saw immigrant-filled boats in danger, now directly attack the vessels and puncture them with knives to prevent them from sailing, amidst the screams and desperation of the crew who see their dream of reaching British shores deflate before their eyes.
Scenes of the puncturing of the taxi boats, captured on a beach near the port of Boulogne, have sparked protests from NGOs, warning that the toughening of police actions on French soil and waters (another new measure is the preventive release of fishing nets to jam boat propellers) will result in an increase in deaths during the Channel crossing, which last year recorded a record of 73 victims (more than the total of the previous six years).
"If police enter the water, they will cause more deaths, and more people will drown trying to escape or return to the beach," warns Arthur Dos Santos, coordinator of the NGO Utopia 56. "There will be more violence because some will resist and decide to fight. People will continue to try to find a way to reach the United Kingdom. This will not stop them but will make the journey much more dangerous."
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has fully endorsed the drastic actions of the French police. "I know the scenes are not pleasant to see when French authorities puncture the boats to prevent people from moving away from the coast," she told Times Radio. "But this is the type of action we support as part of the new tactics to stop boats in shallow waters. We are working closely with French authorities, and President Macron's visit is another opportunity to advance our discussions."
Record in the English Channel
A total of 18,500 irregular immigrants have crossed the English Channel so far this year, a record for the first six months, surpassing even the figure for 2022 when the year ended with 46,000 crossings. The Labour government of Keir Starmer inherited from Rishi Sunak the slogan Stop the Boats, but the situation has worsened in the last year, despite the new entente cordiale between the UK and France after the long Brexit disputes.
Keir Starmer is confident in reaching an agreement with Emmanuel Macron to achieve the repatriation of a portion of irregular immigrants to France, but the announcement of this measure was postponed due to the direct intervention of the European Commission, which has requested an "urgent clarification" of the direct or indirect consequences for other countries. Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus have joined forces in a unique Mediterranean quintet and have expressed their concerns to Brussels, fearing that immigrants may eventually be repatriated to the country of entry in the EU.
Addressing the flow of immigrants in the English Channel remains the major outstanding issue in relations between Paris and London. Everything attempted so far (the failed threat of deportations to Rwanda, the offensive against human trafficking gangs, drone surveillance on French coasts, the change in police tactics) has been unsuccessful, and options are becoming increasingly limited.
Régis Debut, spokesperson for the French police union UNSA, has acknowledged in statements to the AP agency the growing fear among officers due to the tightening measures and the risk of people dying now due to police intervention at sea.
"Our colleagues do not want to venture 300 meters to intercept the boats because we have not been trained for that," Debut assures. "We need proper equipment. We cannot carry out arrests with combat boots and bulletproof vests. Police officers can also drown with that gear. Everything needs to be reconsidered."
"What will happen with all this is that people will take more risks", warns Diane Leon, coordinator of the Médecins du Monde group on the French coast. "Until now, we rarely saw police entering the water. There is a risk of panic when boarding the boats, and people may be forced to swim further and further to reach the taxi boats."