How Channel refugee tragedy is testing fragile French-British relations

The English Channel disaster, which drowned at least 27 refugees in the waters separating France and Britain this week, has tested fragile relations between the two countries and fueled fears of further tragedy, Aljazeera News reports

Almost immediately after Wednesday incident, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) channel began collecting channel data in 2014, the most deadly accidents on the route have occurred. The focus has shifted to responsibility for the trade between Paris and London.

Both nations have promised to step up measures to stem migration flows, but on Friday, France disinvited Priti Patel, the British home secretary, to a meeting on the crisis, with Paris angry over a letter tweeted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I’m surprised that things aren’t taken seriously. We’re not communicating between leaders via tweets or published letters. We’re not whistleblowers,” Macron said of Italy. He said at a press conference in Italy.

Refugee advocacy groups, meanwhile, are seeking safe passages to avoid further fear.

A pregnant woman and a girl were unfortunately drowned in the darkness of freezing on Wednesday.

It was believed that 34 people were on the boat when the boat capsized. Two survivors are receiving intensive care and one is missing. Police arrested five suspected people involved in the case.

The English Channel, also known as the Strait of Dover, is the busiest route in the world.

This route is important for vessels wishing to cross European ports and to enter the North and Baltic Seas through the English Channel.

Aljazeera citing the trade magazine Marine Insight said that about 400 vessels pass daily in the Strait of Dover.

Refugees used to hide in trucks and try to cross the strait from Curry or Dunkirk, but now with more checks, they don’t happen that often.

Going by boat is a faster way to reach the British border from France and is becoming more and more popular, but full of danger.

According to IOM, about 200 people died on this route this year.

According to the UK, more than 25,000 undocumented people have arrived this year, three times more than last year.

The British Refugee Council said Wednesday’s case was “predictable” but preventable.

“The only way to save lives on these dangerous routes is to stop people from believing that these trips are the only way to hear asylum claims in the UK. For example, the government has smuggled people. If we really want to stop it, we have to create a safe route and eliminate their trade. “

The Joint Immigration and Welfare Council has told Al Jazeera that since the pandemic began, some safe routes that have existed for asylum seekers have been closed and there is no safe way for people to reach Britain. ..

“The government has repeatedly prioritized cruel, infeasible and dangerous border measures like pushbacks on channels, but that only leads to more deaths,” said a spokesman.

“This tragedy must represent a turning point that it is saving lives, not keeping people away. This means establishing a safer route soon.”

“No one is illegal”: Protesters

At a rally in London outside the Interior Ministry on Thursday night, people remembered that 27 people had died.

Some talk about the hostile environment for refugees and migrants, others at sea and dead. Essex case In 2019, 39 Vietnamese immigrants were suffocated trying to enter the UK on a refrigerated truck.

However, as people sloganed “no one is illegal” and “no borders or nations,” more refugees sailed out of the ports of Calais and Dunkirk on Thursday night in search of a better life. It has been.

Channel Rescue, a grassroots organization established in response to Britain’s strict border policies and helping people make crossroads, told Al Jazeera: Of the UK and EU governments.

“A policy to militarize our borders will inevitably bring tragedy … Increasing securitization of our borders is not a sustainable policy, but a new safe way for people to claim asylum. It requires a large investment in the route. “