Latest news with #ChannelCrossing
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
RNLI defends small boat rescues amid anti-immigration protests
The UK's largest lifeboat charity has said it will continue to rescue migrants who get into trouble while trying to cross the Channel in small boats, saying its staff work 'without judgement or preference'. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has faced criticism over small boat rescues, but has insisted its job is to 'rescue anyone in trouble at sea'. Data released by the charity showed Channel crossing incidents made up just 1.2 per cent of its total launches in 2024. Recent weeks have seen a string of protests across the UK outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers amid a rise in tensions over immigration. Police have clashed with demonstrators and counter-protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, after an asylum seeker was charged with alleged sexual assault. Hundreds of protesters have gathered on five occasions across the last three weeks, wearing T-shirts and waving signs with slogans such as 'save our kids'. The protests have sparked fears of widespread unrest, as seen after the Southport stabbings last summer, and demonstrations have also taken place outside hotels in Leeds, Greater Manchester, and London. But volunteers from the charity have urged people to remember migrants who find themselves in dangerous situations at sea 'genuinely need help'. Dan Sinclair, who volunteers with Walmer RNLI, said as a father, scenes he has seen in the Channel go 'straight through my heart'. ''One thing that I would like people to understand and to realise is that when we are tasked to a small boat somewhere in the Channel, these people genuinely need our help,' he said. 'They are in distress. They're in unseaworthy boats offshore, taking on water in all states and conditions. They could be frozen, their legs could be paralysed, they can't talk, they've been in that position for ages, they could be crushed, families separated. We're doing what we can to try and help save every single person, to keep families united and to keep people alive.' He remembered one particular 'horrible, horrible' situation where a family was stuck on a boat sinking in front of their eyes. 'There was a little girl on that boat, she looked at me straight in the eye and said: 'I love you, thank you,'' he said. 'As a father, that was straight through my heart. When I got home, I knew I had to go speak to my daughter and give her a big cuddle and a big kiss. It just put lots of things into perspective that these people need our help.' The RNLI rescued 1,371 people from incidents involving small boats crossing the channel in 2024, the charity said, making up 3.7 per cent of the total number of people recorded to have crossed the Channel in small boats last year. It comes ahead of the return of Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two this week. RNLI head of lifeboats Simon Ling said: 'Our volunteer lifeboat crews are normal people doing extraordinary things, often in the most challenging circumstances imaginable and we are extremely proud of their continued commitment to saving lives at sea. 'The crew testimony and rescue footage show the reality of what our volunteer lifeboat crews face when they launch to the aid of people crossing the Channel at the request of HM Coastguard. They are often confronted with highly challenging rescue scenarios, involving large numbers of distressed people in the water. 'We are incredibly proud of our crews who continue to respond selflessly to their pagers, day or night, simply to help others. We know that anyone can drown but no one should and each time our crews are requested to launch by HM Coastguard they do so knowing that someone's father, mother, son or daughter need our help. 'We are a voluntary lifesaving rescue service, and will rescue anyone in trouble at sea, as the RNLI has been doing for more than 200 years, without judgement or preference.' Saving Lives at Sea airs on BBC Two at 8pm on Thursday.
BBC News
14 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
RNLI crew makes no apologies for saving lives in English Channel
Lifeboat crew members who are called out to migrants crossing the Channel in small boats have told the BBC they make no apologies for saving lives at RNLI has faced accusations that it is acting as a "taxi service" for people trying to enter the UK its members said they will react to any incident they are asked to by the Coastguard and will go to the aid of anyone in trouble on or in the year, lifeboat crews responded 114 times to small boats - representing just over 1% of their total call-outs across the UK and Ireland. The charity said it has saved the lives of 58 migrants, including children. Paula Lain, who works as a management consultant when she's not volunteering for the RNLI, said: "When our pager goes, we're not thinking anything political. "We're all thinking about people. We're actively compassionate. That's what drives us beyond any moral or civic responsibility. "When we're tasked, we don't know what we're going to be tasked to. We're there to help people in their most distressing times." The RNLI has released harrowing images of an incident in which 19 people had to be pulled from the sea after the dinghy they were in capsized. It said it wants to provide an insight into the reality facing its volunteer images show the crew throwing what are called horse shoes – effectively mini life jackets – into the sea. But on seeing the lifeboat, many of those in the water decide to swim directly to it, and they are hauled on collapse with exhaustion, others need immediate medical attention. The lifeboat already had 68 people on board from an earlier incident. Everyone rescued by the RNLI in this incident in August 2023 survived - but six people pulled from the water by other vessels who responded to the emergency lost their crew members said they have faced accusations that they are facilitating illegal volunteer Dan Sinclair says what they see in the Channel has a profound impact on them. He recalls one recent rescue, telling the BBC: "There was a little girl on that boat. "When we took that little girl - who was probably four years old - off that boat, she looked at me straight in the eye and she said 'Thank you. I love you.'"You can see more about the rescue on the new series of 'Saving Lives at Sea' on BBC Two on Thursday at 20:00 BST and on iPlayer.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Four in 10 migrants crossing the Channel on small boats and claiming to be children lie about their age, official figures show
Four in 10 migrants crossing the Channel in small boats lie about being children, official figures show. Many are believed to have destroyed their identification documents before arriving in Britain in a desperate attempt to cheat the asylum system. Child refugees cannot be deported and have the rights to the same healthcare, education and sustenance as British children. Home Office figures show that from mid-2022 to June 2024, 11,449 age disputes were raised by UK Border Force staff. A staggering 1,305 of those caught lying about their age were from Afghanistan, in a bid to get special protection in the UK. While Sudan came below with 571 trying to con officials. A whopping 8,791 were resolved with 3,570 — 40 per cent — having lied about being under 18. And 355 Iranians, 325 Eritreans and 318 Vietnamese asylum seekers were caught pretending to be children. Last year, 56 per cent of disputes identified adult migrants lying about their age, figures from The Sun on Sunday revealed. It comes as a damning report by borders inspector David Bolt found a 'lack of curiosity from immigration staff about the genuine age of Channel migrants. So much so that one Iranian with grey hairs and stubble managed to pass for 17-years-old. The Government is set to trial AI-powered facial recognition technology to determine whether Channel migrants are being wrongly identified as children. The Home Office last week announced testing on new technology will begin later this year with the hope it could be fully integrated into the asylum system in 2026. There have long been fears that some of those who cross the Channel in small boats - who often don't carry official documents such as passports - are wrongly claiming to be children. Unaccompanied minors are more likely to be granted asylum than adults, with some suspected to be faking their ages in a bid to boost their chances of staying in the UK. In the first half of 2024, a total of 1,317 migrants claiming to be minors at the border were later judged to be adults. There were a total of 2,122 age disputes raised over the same period. Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour. A Home Office spokeswoman told The Sun: 'Robust age assessments for illegal migrants are vital to maintaining border security. 'We will start to modernise that process in the coming months through the testing of fast and effective AI Age Estimation technology at key Border Force locations, with a view to fully integrate Facial Age Estimation into the current age assessment system over the course of 2026.' The Home Office have been contacted for comment by MailOnline.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
OPINION: The Channel is only the last part of the journey!
Small boats bringing illegal migrants were the main story coming from the meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron recently, but there was really a lot more to talk about. Since William the Conqueror defeated his cousin Harold in 1066, the story between England and France has taken many twists. The raising of two fingers was originally a salute to the French from medieval English archers, showing that the two key fingers for pulling a bow were in good working order! Migrants arriving at the Channel ports have already had a long and arduous journey. Statistics state that seventy per cent of people recently crossing in small boats have come from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania, Syria, or Eritrea, leaving the final strip of water a relatively minor challenge. It is difficult to imagine that any migrant who has reached Calais would then give up! All the gloom and doom in our news should surely put people off wanting to come here, with the bin strike in Birmingham, the economy stagnant or in decline, plus uncertainty over jobs in the gig economy. Certainly, most of the French prefer to stay in France, but President Macron said the UK is too attractive for migrants, making them want to come here. What we do have is a long-standing belief and conviction in the freedom of the individual. Our Parliament evolved into an argumentative debating chamber, where each MP is elected by their own constituency and free to promote constituency interests, not tied to any party. Our Prime Minister may have the right and power to do anything he wants, but unlike Donald Trump and President Macron, he can lose that authority overnight if Parliament so decides! Most important to migrants, and to us, is that we are free to go about our lawful business without being chaperoned or documented by the government, whether local or national. We are not required to carry identity papers, as happens in the USA. The migrant problem is actually much worse for many of our neighbours; more lives are lost crossing the Mediterranean than crossing the Channel. Italy bears the brunt of this, being the most obvious destination for any boat. Germany had a major influx of migrants across their land border with Eastern Europe, and statistics show that Germany has taken in more migrants than other European countries. The UK is lower down the list. "Irregular arrivals" are not the largest number of migrants arriving into our multicultural society. We are already a mixed bunch. The news displays presenters from various ethnic origins quoting experts, many of whom have names which are clearly not British. In general, we have become a multicultural society. This is our strength as it has been for many generations, with Normans, Huguenots, Indians, Africans, and my ancestor blown ashore from the Spanish Armada! The boat people have undertaken long and dangerous journeys to join us, is it fair to condemn them to live in France? We cannot afford generous benefits, nor can we afford to turn away willing workers. But housing asylum seekers awaiting processing while our homeless are sleeping rough is crazy. Migration is a world problem. New migrants, once here, need proper organisation.
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Grinning small boat migrant chronicles his journey across the Channel to the UK - as he films himself celebrating on Blackpool beach after illegally crossing into Britain
A small boat migrant who was helped across the Channel by the French authorities is documenting his 'best life' in Britain on TikTok. Shocking footage filmed by the migrant and posted on the social media platform showed him on a small boat with around 20 other men being given bottles of water by the French coastguard. The group of around 30 men cheer, wave and hold out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water. Despite crossings being against the law - and often deadly - the coastguard made no attempt to stop the boat or urge them to return. It was posted on the TikTok of an account of a man, believed to be from Iraq, called Youssef Hassan. He has more than 5,000 followers. The footage of the crossing was posted this week and clearly shows him holding his phone in a selfie position. Another video sees him on the same small boat talking to the camera with people on the boat with him. Young children can be seen in the centre of the boat. His TikTok now shows him enjoying living in Blackpool, Lancashire. The social media giant has been accused of being an 'online travel agent for illegal crossings'. His profile has the phrase: 'I live in peace and I post videos that I shoot for myself and for my personal page. Greetings to everyone.' He has posted numerous videos of him enjoying his time in the Lancashire town, including the iconic Blackpool Tower. He is believed to have travelled through Germany for the boat crossing. He posted videos of him last month in the country. Videos from Blackpool started this month, and include shots of him outside an amusement arcade. One follower urged him to return to Iraq and wrote: 'Go back to your family, living abroad is hard. There is nothing better than Iraq, I swear.' But others wished him well, writing: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing your dreams will come true. May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' The migrant was with a group of around 30 men seen cheering, waving and holding out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water He replied: 'You are my soul.' Other clips show him outside the Coral Island children's amusement centre in Blackpool. Each has thousands of views. On the clip featuring him on the boat, some followers question how easy and safe it is to make it to Britain on a small boat. One follower boasted how easy it is. He wrote: 'My brother, you will reach Britain, and Britain does not allow rejection and does not allow deportation. 'The English language and work are all Iraqis and it is the best country and trust.' Another commented him to say: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing, your dreams will come true. 'May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'TikTok is basically an online travel agent for illegal crossings. How on earth is this allowed? 'It's just an online advert to say come to Britain, it's easy and you'll have a great life. It's very worrying.' One source said: 'It looks like this guy is living his best life here in Britain. It's sticking two fingers up to the authorities. 'Not only was he basically helped to get here, he's now living a very good life.' According to the latest government figures at least 21,000 people have embarked on the perilous journey across the Channel since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. Earlier this month, Keir Starmer announced a new pilot scheme that will see migrants arriving via small boat being detained and returned to France. A one-in, one-out system will operate with migrants sent back to France in exchange for asylum seekers. But the scheme could be canned if it is found to be ineffective. The new scheme has been condemned by campaigners, who said they would support court cases brought by small-boat arrivals chosen to be sent back to France. A border union boss said the legal challenges could take a year. Brussels ominously warned that it was assessing whether the scheme complied with the 'spirit and the letter of the law', while governments including Italy were said to be harbouring 'huge doubts' about its legality. Meanwhile Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refused to say how many of the thousands arriving by dinghy will be removed under the pilot scheme, amid fears it could be even fewer than the 50 a week suggested by French officials. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Mail: 'This pathetic arrangement may be sunk by legal challenges from activist lawyers and irresponsible charities who want to facilitate illegal immigration into the UK. 'With illegal immigration across the Channel so far this year hitting record levels, Keir Starmer must now be bitterly regretting his foolish decision to cancel the Rwanda deterrent scheme before it even started. 'After two years of legal challenges and legislation, the scheme was ready to go, but Starmer cancelled it just days before the first plane was due to take off last July. 'This would have enabled 100 per cent of the illegal immigrants to be immediately removed without judicial interference. 'The boats would soon have stopped. But Starmer is too weak and too mentally enslaved by his human rights lawyer friends to do what is needed to protect our country's borders.' Downing Street insisted the controversial 'one in, one out' agreement was legally sound and that Brussels supported it. But fearing that returned migrants could head to Italy, the country's interior minister told Sky News: 'We know the EU Commission is still evaluating the agreement, and EU countries, including us, have huge doubts about security and legal aspects of the deal.' It has been a decade since a sporadic number of boats with migrants on board arriving off the Kent coast from France was reported in the media. At the time, the focus was mainly on the thousands of attempts by migrants in northern France, who were attempting to stowaway on lorries and ferries to the UK. In the nearby Calais Jungle thousands of people, including children, were living under canvass in a camp which was later cleared by the French authorities. But as security was tightened around the ports and Eurotunnel, within three years, significant numbers were using small boats instead to make the dangerous crossing. The cost for a single small boat journey can cost upwards of £1,500 for a single person with no guarantee that the journey will be a success.
