a day ago
French cops with riot shields FINALLY launch bid to stop overloaded migrant boat… only to retreat & watch it sail away
Ed Southgate in Gravelines
Julia Atherley
Sam Creed
Published: Invalid Date,
HEAVY handed French police finally went into the sea to try to stop migrants getting onto a dinghy - but the small boats were still left dangerously overcrowded after the officers retreated.
Riot officers dramatically threatened migrants with batons and pepper sprayed them in waist-high water during shocking scenes at Gravelines beach - near Dunkirk - in the early hours of this morning.
12
12
Harrowing babies ' cries and screams rang out from the water as their parents carrying them refused to leave.
Smugglers were caught off-guard when the French authorities, who have famously kept to dry land, started wading into the cold water.
But 15 minutes later, riot cops were called back out of the water and watched on as the same group of migrants boarded the waiting dinghy.
The Sun watched as Smugglers and migrants initially tried to fight back against the police, shouting at them, pushing them and splashing water at them.
Then they tried moving along the coast, rather than towards land, to escape the cops and wait for the small boat, and the group slowly dispersed into smaller groups with cops pursuing them.
Families began shouting at each other to come back when some moved towards the shore.
The dinghy had arrived already with some migrants on, confirming theories that smugglers are now operating boats like a bus route picking people up at various spots.
Tear gas grenades were thrown on land as the second group ran around, with smoke completely covering the miles-long beach in scenes comparable to a war zone.
This is believed to be one of the first times French police have ever gone into the water.
They have repeatedly refused to get their feet wet, claiming it is dangerous and legally complex.
New maritime rules allowing cops to intervene at sea have not come into force yet.
It has created accusations of officers just wanting to "put on a show" after being exposed in the press, while continuing to fail to stop any dinghies.
The first group entered Gravelines beach from the sand dunes at around 4.50am.
They walked with pace along the beach before eventually running towards the sea with a very large number of young children and babies.
People smugglers were yelling at them, directing them what to do and where to go while no police were on the beach.
Parents adjusted their childrens' life jackets as the group of around 50 migrants stood at the edge of the sea.
One dad's one-year-old son was crying as he asked for help adjusting the baby's ill-fitting life jacket, which heartbreakingly appeared to be choking him.
The dad said he was terrified for his baby ahead of the journey, but insisted they were fleeing war and needed to go to Britain.
12
12
12
12
People smugglers were shouting at the group and aggressively threw sand at the onlooking media.
They stayed at the edge of the water until around 5.15am, when around 40 police officers finally emerged from the sand dunes and began marching the three quarters of a mile towards the sea.
The migrants were then instructed by smugglers to enter the cold water, which they believed would give them protection against the officers who famously have never been in the sea.
At least six riot officers marched into the sea towards the group of migrants and aggressively banged their riot shield with batons as they shouted at the group to go back.
It led to a stand-off, with the group refusing to budge. One officer then lunged towards the group and pushed them with his shield, causing them to almost fall.
The officers then continued to push them as screams were heard from the group, and they then used pepper spray against them.
Parents, carrying their children on their shoulders or in their arms, were among those remaining firm in the water.
Other sporadic moments of jostling and pushing between police and migrants continued during the 15 minute standoff.
But the police were then called back as tear gas grenades were thrown on the sand as a second group appeared on the beach.
It meant the migrants a dinghy could approach the group that the cops had failed to remove from the sea.
The Sun then watched as they struggled to get on the already-overcrowded dinghy.
Children were hoisted up as adults struggled in the sea.
Meanwhile on the beach, hundreds more migrants were running around in a cat and mouse game with the police as they also tried to get to a second boat that was further down the coast.
Officers threw a line of tear gas grenades to try to stop them from getting near to the sea.
But migrants still managed to get to that boat.
Smugglers appear to always bring more migrants than can fit on the boat, to make sure they are as full as possible.
It meant there was a large group that were left on the beach after the boats had gone.
But this was because there was no more room on the boats, not because the police had stopped them.
It comes after The Sun watched on Wednesday morning as police stood idly by on land while migrants almost drowned trying to get onto a boat.
But around two hours later today, some miles east in Dunkirk, another group of migrants boarded a small boat as officers continued to look on from the shore.
12
12
12
12
