Stand off drowning migrants and report – or face prosecution, sailors warned

But how can legal or illegal be determined if they destroy all papers by which they can be identified?

This is an interesting article, especially this bit.
"Since 2015, France has absorbed 160,000 asylum seekers, Britain less than 10,000.
The great majority of the people who illegally (and invisibly) cross land borders into France every day are people who speak a little French and have family or contacts in France. They want to stay in France.
A minority, the Calais migrants, come to France because they want to reach the UK. A very small minority of this minority are people who have had asylum requests turned down in EU countries.
When French police clear makeshift camps in the Calais area – confiscating tents and even sleeping bags – the migrants are given a chance to go to French shelters elsewhere and seek asylum in France. Only a handful ever do so."

www.thelocal.fr/20211125/opinion-france-protects-uk-from-migrant-crisis-a-fact-britain-will-never-accept/

Grandma2020 and everyone else wondering why people want to come to UK, put BBC 2 on and listen to the asylum seeker from Kettering (now a British citizen) has to say.
They are travelling from countries that we decimated through wars, through countries that treat them like criminals and worse, to a country that they think will welcome them and treat them with compassion!
I am in despair reading some of your comments! Yesterday's thread was about 2nd homes ....I'll bet these people wish they had such trivial problems to think about!

They are not 'illegal immigrants'. They are just 'immigrants'.

Their status as 'legal' or 'illegal' cannot be determined until their asylum applications have been processed.

We certainly agree about being able to accommodate asylum seekers maddyone. I think that the bit that is not true is that the police are just turning a blind eye; this has been talked about on this thread already so I'm not going to repeat it.

They choose the unsafe routes because that is all there is. They want to get here by any means possible. We had agreements with the rest of the EU when we were members that no longer apply, somebody posted about it above.

Forsythia

It says they are paying anything between £3-6000 for a place in these boats. If they’re destitute how can they afford it and, if they can, why not travel by train or ferry?

Probably because they are illegal immigrants they either don't have papers or the correct papers and they wouldn't get through immigration? I don't know.

vegansrock

I didn’t know English buying second homes in Wales were fleeing a dangerous regime…. ooooh maybe they are.

Why shouldn’t they - they want a better life, like all migrants. If Welsh Labour plans to provide free care to all in old age come to pass then even more will choose to retire here.

It says they are paying anything between £3-6000 for a place in these boats. If they’re destitute how can they afford it and, if they can, why not travel by train or ferry?

Of course I would not watch someone drown whoever they were .
I do notice though that a lot of people are calling the immigrants asylum seekers. They are not asylum seekers, they are illegal immigrants. France is not a war zone.

I would like to know why people WANT to come to the UK as opposed to any other country. Do we have a reputation for being NICE people? Just curious, we don't come out of international news very well.

I know that many planes stopped flying during part of the pandemic, but planes are flying again now. The ferries are sailing and are much safer than dinghies.

I’m not sure what you’re saying Alegrias. What I’m saying is that far fewer asylum seekers come to the UK now than did previously, and therefore we should be able to accommodate them. Of course asylum seekers used many routes to come into the country in the past, and therefore I’m not sure why they choose to come using an unsafe route today. There are surely safer routes. I don’t think the EU had/have anything to do with it, although I do wonder how French police can just watch people setting off, including children, using just about the most unsafe route available.

I didn’t know English buying second homes in Wales were fleeing a dangerous regime…. ooooh maybe they are.

I can't even decide where to start with this maddyone

So we'll try this:

Its not true

In 2001 people could come here using many routes, many of which never went near the EU; today many of those routes are closed off to them both by the pandemic and by the UK governments policies, so they come across the Channel in boats.

I would take prison over watching someone die. Nothing else to be said.

maisiebon

I cannot believe the French don't know who is selling these boats and who is buying them, they really are turning a blind eye and really don't care as long as they get rid of the migrants

I think this is true.

Apparently in 2001 there were 100000 asylum claims. There are far fewer today, therefore it is not correct to say that the EU prevented asylum seekers entering the UK. Since we apparently have far fewer asylum claimants now, it seems to be reasonable that we offer asylum to those who do seek it here.

Wow how far we've come. From little boats crossing the channel, saving life's at Dunkirk, to being told to stand down and watch people die, or be prosecuted as a criminal. What is our government thinking.

We are all human beings, each deserving of compassion and respect. Surely built into that premise is the instinctual reaction to help anyone in distress? ( Perhaps not endangering oneself by interfering in violent fights as recent stabbings have shown, but in those instances ringing the Police immediately).
How could anyone ever sleep again if they had deliberately turned their back on someone drowning?

I refer you to my post of 10:46, m'lud.

(Kettle's boiling)

I cannot believe the French don't know who is selling these boats and who is buying them, they really are turning a blind eye and really don't care as long as they get rid of the migrants

Figures from the ONS just published

64% of asylum requests are granted.
48% are granted on appeal.

My maths makes it about 80% requests granted. 80% genuine asylum seekers.

Because of Home Office inefficiency there are some 83,733 asylum claims waiting to be settled.

That is nearly 84,000 people we are (rightly) supporting because they are unable to take jobs to support themselves. We have about 1 million job vacancies.... (I make that 11 jobs for every person waiting for a decision)

The fact that they are getting minimal state support is exacerbating the hatred felt for them (egged on by the lies told about the support they get while waiting). So these poor souls face a double bind, hated for wanting to come to the UK and hated for the support they get when they are here.

The Home Office is not at all good at repatriating the failed asylum seekers.. Adds to the hate...

We have to face the fact that the UK bears some responsibility for the 'problem' of asylum seekers too.

Net immigration to the UK is fairly stable, asylum seekers are not adding to a 'problem' unless you see all immigration as a 'problem'.

Just saying.....

Its a thing with GN that people launch into posting without reading previous posts. Understandable of course, busy people can't spend their time reading pages and pages of posts on Social Media.

So, here's a request for ideas.

If someone posts something that is diametrically opposite to the truth and has been show to be so several times on the thread, but they haven't bother reading it and just made their claim anyway, what is the answer?

(Me, I'm going for a coffee before I explode)

I was shocked to see pictures French police officers in their vehicle watching people launch an inflatable dinghy. It seems that the French stand-off with the UK is more important than lives.

I see that one asylum seeker who landed yesterday was an" Afghan soldier who had worked with British soldiers. His family decided to risk their lives to cross the Channel after they waited so long for help from Britain" (Times today )
We can't know what it is like living in countries where you fear for your life.
I do worry reading some of the comments often based screaming headlines of the Nigel Farage variety, not fact.

Especially when you are making spurious and ridiculous politically motivated comments. alegrias

Ah, yes.....indeed!