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

Maudi I am going to be charitable and say that you seem to have no clue whatsoever about how this works. Do you think they should be physically restrained? They are not criminals.

All of these people with trite solutions to the problem need to get educated about the real world.

Alegrias1

And they're off...

Been out all day, and just can't believe my eyes- feel sick.

And they will keep insisting Brexit was not about xenophobia.

I really don't believe there are many people who could actually ignore the plight of someone drowning, who they could help. And the further likelihood of those people being at sea at the time help was needed is even less. But I absolutely despair of people who can bring themselves to say or write that they would ignore a drowning person. No compassion, no self-awareness.

Maudi

I think they should be prevented from getting on dinghies in France, we the UK are supposedly paying them millions to stop this, but then you have pictures of French police just standing by and watching them go. I think perhaps although obviously I have no proof that the police might be in on the take making a few euros to turn a blind eye.

But France has not received these millions yet

DH had a yacht some years ago, and sailed across the channel many times. He says that international maritime law says if you see people in distress at sea you MUST offer assistance.

mokryna

Maudi

I think they should be prevented from getting on dinghies in France, we the UK are supposedly paying them millions to stop this, but then you have pictures of French police just standing by and watching them go. I think perhaps although obviously I have no proof that the police might be in on the take making a few euros to turn a blind eye.

But France has not received these millions yet

Oh well that’s understandable isn’t it - the french police will stand around watching until they know the money has arrived...

I don’t know why British people castigate their own countrymen for everything to do with asylum seekers and let the EU off when it comes to building walls to keep migrants out - Greece anyone? Hungary? Poland?

Xenophobia was ALL that it was about.

But what part of little England needs protection
from "our friends and partners across the channel". It's not a good look, it really isn't. Show some heart for goodness sake before I burst.

Latest from the Telegraph:

“The Dunkirk prosecutor has opened an investigation into "helping illegal residency by a criminal gang" and "aggravated manslaughter".

5:04pm
'This is the worst migrant tragedy we have known and one we have long feared'

A spokesman for the Manche Mer du Nord maritime state prefecture told The Telegraph: "This is the worst migrant tragedy we have known and one that we have long feared.

"A fisherman raised the alarm after 1pm after spotting people in the water around 10km off the coast of Calais in the busy and dangerous shipping lane halfway between France and the UK.

Has it occurred that what we are seeing at the moment is almost certainly peanuts compared to what will happen once the climate really gets a grip. Many areas will become inhabitable, what are those folk expected to do.

Any ideas?

Guardain ^ Under an agreement reached in July, Britain agreed to finance border security in France to the tune of 62.7m euros.

The home secretary, Priti Patel, in September threatened to withhold the money in light of the record numbers of migrants arriving from France.

“France has held the border for our British friends for over 20 years,” said Darmanin.

The French side has hired more gendarmes, bought more technological equipment and thereby “succeeded in greatly reducing migratory pressure”, he added. France is “an ally of Britain” but “not its vassal”, he said.

Over the past three months France has stopped 65% of attempted crossings by migrants, up from 50%, the interior minister said.^

If the tables were turned and there were migrants travelling through the U.K. on the way to somewhere else- would we be inclined to stop them?

17:18TopsyIrene06

What's your solution then pick them up from France bypass the people smugglers perhaps the migrants could pay the RNLI directly. Its an idea. ?

17:20Whitewavemark2

I'm sure most on here will be dead and buried by then.

You could put high fences all around the UK South shore and sell tickets perhaps ... it's an idea you would prefer I suppose !

Funds to Farage and co.

vegansrock

If the tables were turned and there were migrants travelling through the U.K. on the way to somewhere else- would we be inclined to stop them?

? Patel would provide a ferry service free of charge.

Surely there should be a British processing centre in France where potential migrants could apply for settlement in the U.K. Then there wouldn’t be this necessity to take risks travelling. At the moment they can’t apply till they are on British soil. This would mean cooperating with France though.

Guardain Under an agreement reached in July, Britain agreed to finance border security in France to the tune of 62.7m euros.^

I saw recently that the UK has only paid about a third of it.

vegansrock

Surely there should be a British processing centre in France where potential migrants could apply for settlement in the U.K. Then there wouldn’t be this necessity to take risks travelling. At the moment they can’t apply till they are on British soil. This would mean cooperating with France though.

Well, you would have thought so, wouldn't you, vegansrock, but we're not proving to be very good at having sensible relationships with our neighbours.

And where would the asylum seekers go while waiting months (if not years) for a decision?

MaizieD

vegansrock

Surely there should be a British processing centre in France where potential migrants could apply for settlement in the U.K. Then there wouldn’t be this necessity to take risks travelling. At the moment they can’t apply till they are on British soil. This would mean cooperating with France though.

Well, you would have thought so, wouldn't you, vegansrock, but we're not proving to be very good at having sensible relationships with our neighbours.

And where would the asylum seekers go while waiting months (if not years) for a decision?

Didn’t the uk have that in place for the legal channel crossings before Brexit? I seem to remember showing my passport and my car being searched.

Kali2 I agree with your comment at 17.02. This thread had some eye-poppingly awful comments. The xenophobia is dreadful - hats off to the posters that reply to the most outrageous comments with calm, measured replies! You must have the patience of a Saint.

The very words ‘processing centres’ makes my blood run cold….

This is just advice from the Royal Yacht Association, concerned that sailors will perhaps be prosecuted ( unlikely).
Presumably they are saying that be careful you don’t take a group from a leaky dinghy, radio for help instead.No sailor would fail to help anyone in the water.

I am thinking about it Maudi. At the moment I am full of thoughts about the human tragedy.

Maudi

17:20Whitewavemark2

I'm sure most on here will be dead and buried by then.

I suppose do, but I feel a certain responsibility towards the future that my offspring are going to experience.

However we still have the issue of those wanting to cross to the U.K. from France.

I wonder if the answer is for France to identify those seeking passage to the UK, use some of the money they hope to be getting from the UK and giving them free passage in ferries? That would solve a number of problems.

It's just hard to find the right words that would do justice to the abject awfulness of 27 people dying in the sea in a desperate attempt to reach a safer and better life. That's all really Maudi.