the only real difference

I agree. I was listening to a radio programme today and a caller said that we shouldn't use the terms migrants or refugees when discussing these issues but should always use the word people.

you should all watch the 2009 French film 'Welcome' - it is the story of a young immigrant who drowns- desperate to reach the UK. So poignant and moving

youtu.be/t40ANH4Pe14

biba

Where has the Daily Mail or another paper celebrated the death of a child?

I can't find anything on Google re a 2 year old drowning in the channel.

I think I must be missing something or incorrectly reading your post. Can you provide a link please.

I read in a different paper that a 16yo had drowned in the Channel. He was described as a child.

It's a 16 year old Sudanese boy POGS.

2 years difference in age - yes a 16 year old is a child

Biba is saying there are 2 years between this child and her grandchild. There are a few months between this boy and my son.

OK thanks I have more of a grasp on the OP.

We are talking about the 14 year old boy on a beach in Callais.

I have only just returned from being out and had not heard this sad story.

However I would be shocked if the Daily Mail or any other paper 'celebrated ' such a tragic death as implied in the OP.

QuoteGalaxy Wed 19-Aug-20 19:40:08
'Biba is saying there are 2 years between this child and her grandchild. There are a few months between this boy and my son.'
----

Thank you I had misread the OP so apologies.

I too would be shocked if the Mail ‘celebrated’ the death of a child in any way shape or form.

Actually I don’t believe it.

I read some of the comments from the Daily Mail readers online and felt physically sick that some people can rejoice in a dead child I am so angry so disappointed and so extremely upset by them

It's not the mail itself it's the people who are commenting on the story.

Yes the Mail readers

At least 45 migrants, including five children, have died in the deadliest shipwreck off Libya so far this year, the UN's agency for refugees says. They were among more than 80 people on board a vessel whose engine exploded off the coast of Zwara, the UNHCR said.

BBC news just now.

Then it is beyond disgusting for any human being to sink so low.

Explain why the UK is better than any of the EU countries that they have passed through though.

This is not desperation. It is opportunism.

France is safe. It is not a war zone.

I think the charities at Calais are making a bad situation worse.

Urmstongran - just a bit of respect please - don't you realise this is not the place, not today.

Go make your comments on the DM colums if you have to - please

Rubbish urmstongran many of these migrants have family or contacts or friends in U.K. many are English speakers (French is not spoken so much worldwide) Many are professional people Many have been told to come here and lastly have you ever seen any videos or know anyone working with refugees in France and some other countries they have travelled through Have you seen the way the French police react against them beat them, burn their tents, kick them I ve seen the videos they are appalling ... uK ( wrongly it seems) has a reputation for being kinder (we used to have a soul and heart once maybe or perhaps it was just a rumour)
There are many reasons and lastly most of the European countries take in more refugees than we do

biba I’m as saddened by you of the death of this young boy. He could not swim. He used a shovel in place of a paddle and punctured the dinghy. It must have been so frightening for him. I can only imagine his fear and panic.

He was 16y pretending to be 18y.

His friend survived because he could swim.

RIP poor boy.

However, you cannot take away the fact that he lost his life needlessly. Which makes it all the more tragic.

If he had stopped in the first safe country he arrived in then he would be alive tonight.

well just say you are saddened - don't deny the comments made by DM readers - just respect. And watch the film Welcome.

I can just imagine that film. No thanks.

Reluctantly, I've just had a look at the DM comments about this and I can see that there is a definite turn towards sympathy and empathy for this boy and the circumstances he found himself in. The crude and distasteful comments do seem to be in the minority.

well, it might even make you think ...

and realise the difference between the boy and your boy/s - is just where they were born.

*“Welcome” puts you so completely into the shoes of a young man facing almost insurmountable obstacles that you feel a profound empathy not only for him but also for all who are ready to risk everything for the dream of a better life. Mr. Ayverdi’s portrayal of a shy innocent driven by blind faith in himself and ferocious stamina finds exactly the right spirit of determination tinged with petulance to make him entirely believable.

Because Bilal finds a reluctant, and unlikely, champion in Simon (Vincent Lindon), a middle-aged swimming instructor at a public pool in Calais, the movie has a lot in common with “The Visitor,” which portrayed a similar relationship. But its story has a more organic feel and deeper emotional resonance. *