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Euronews
03-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
UK pressures France to crack down on small boat crossings
The UK is pressing France to change how it polices small boat crossings, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said. Her comment in the House of Commons on Monday came after more than 1,100 migrants reached the UK on Saturday — the highest number to have crossed the English Channel in a single day this year. Cooper has faced criticism from opposition politicians, who say that criminal gangs are exploiting a loophole in French law that prevents the authorities there from intervening once migrants are afloat. Conservative MP Chris Philp, who is the shadow home secretary, said the "French prevention rate on land is lamentably under 40%". "The French are not stopping these boats at sea, as the Belgians do," Philps wrote on X. Cooper said the UK government has urged the French authorities to allow police to intervene when migrants are in shallow waters. "The French interior minister and the French cabinet have now agreed their rules need to change," Cooper said in the House of Commons. "A French maritime review is looking at what new operational tactics they will use, and we are urging France to complete this review and implement the changes as swiftly as possible," she added. The British home secretary confirmed that she was in communication with her French counterpart. "There are further discussions underway this week," she said. In February, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he intended to amend French law to allow police to intervene within 300 metres of the coastline. Currently, authorities can only act on the shoreline, unless they are required to intervene to rescue migrants. The maritime prefecture "takes over" once migrants are in water, Sliman Hamzi, a representative of one of France's largest police unions, told TF1 Info. Philp has urged the UK government to adopt a tougher stance if this does not change. A recent deal giving EU fishing vessels access to UK waters until 2038 should be suspended unless "the French agree to stop those small boats at sea", he suggested. In response, Cooper hit out at Philp, who served as an immigration minister in the previous Conservative government. "We won't take lessons from a former immigration minister who let legal migration treble and small boat crossings soar more than tenfold on his watch," she said.
Morocco World
31-03-2025
- Morocco World
Paris Court Opens Trial for Algerian Suspect in 2019 Lyon Bomb Attack
Rabat – Mohamed Medjdoub, an Algerian national accused of carrying out a bomb attack in Lyon that injured more than a dozen people in May 2019, appeared before a Paris court earlier today. He faces charges of attempted murder linked to terrorism, manufacturing an explosive device, and possessing explosive materials. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. On May 24, 2019, two days before the European elections, Medjdoub allegedly placed a homemade bomb outside a bakery on Victor Hugo Street. The explosion , though not powerful, left several people wounded, including a 10-year-old girl. Morgane, a witness who was in the street at the time, remembers the moment vividly. 'The explosion left us completely deafened. Our ears rang, and we could not hear anything clearly,' she told TF1 Info. She and her friends only realized the extent of their injuries after the initial shock passed. 'It is unsettling to face someone who tried to kill us, but I think we all need to be there, to see him.' Arrest and investigation Security cameras showed a man on a bicycle, face concealed by a cap and sunglasses, approaching the bakery. Investigators believe Medjdoub left a paper bag containing an explosive device made with TATP, a volatile substance, and packed with more than 270 metal pellets and screws. He allegedly purchased the materials online. Authorities tracked him down by analyzing the bomb's detonator, which used batteries sold exclusively on Amazon. Reviewing purchase records and security footage, they arrested him three days after the attack. The investigation found no evidence of accomplices. Medjdoub arrived in France in 2017 to join his family. He held a degree in mathematics and computer science from Algeria but remained in the country illegally after being denied a student visa. Radicalization and trial Since his arrest, Medjdoub has shown no remorse. He told investigators he wanted to 'frighten the French' into voting for far-right parties, believing this would deepen tensions with Muslims and lead to civil war. He insisted his aim was not to kill but to create panic. 'People should feel fear, even when going out to buy bread,' he reportedly said. In prison, authorities describe him as openly extremist. He admitted to engaging in religious discussions with Salah Abdeslam, a key figure in the November 2015 Paris attacks, and claimed it was his duty to convert other Muslim inmates. 'I believe I have had success,' he told the magistrate. During his last interrogation in April 2023, Medjdoub expressed hatred toward France. 'I have been humiliated, disrespected, and I will take revenge. If I catch a French person, I will behead them and cut them into a thousand pieces,' he allegedly said. The trial continues until April 7. Tags: anti-terrorismfrance terrorist attacklyon bomb attackMohamed Medjdoub
