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

Rosie51

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.

Wasn't there a scandal about the Australian navy being ordered to let refugees/migrants drown? I think it was maybe 10 years ago. I will have a google and see if I can find anything.

Germanshepherdsmum

Can someone explain to me why asylum seekers (political or economic) are so desperate to come to the UK that they will pay huge amounts to people smugglers and risk their and their families’ lives, despite passing through other perfectly safe countries in Europe? I accept that some may have family who are here legally but they must be a small minority. This is a genuine question to which I would like an answer. Please do not pile in on me for asking it.

Are you really so naive that you don't know?

They likely speak English
They have contacts/family here
Their country has UK links
We are a civilised country
There are jobs, and they want to work

Rather disingenuous to innocently request no pile-on.

18:05TopsyIrene06

I can understand how you feel TopsyIrene I apologise for my tongue in cheek post to you above,I can tell you are upset. Yes it is tragic that all these migrants have died, any death is sad. I don't know what the answer is other than stopping the dinghies leaving France, cracking down on the criminal smuggling gangs. Take care.

MerylStreep it's disgraceful that people like your friends should be put in that position. Surely they would be in breach of international maritime law if they refused to help anyone in distress, and would be more likely to lose their tickets if they did so. Nobody should be threatened as they obviously felt that they were being.

The only answer is to reinstate safe passage for these people.

Set up a proper and efficient department that deals with the matter and treat them with humanity and civilised behaviour.

I hope if the RNLI were to prosecuted in such circumstances, there would be a national outcry. Morally, we really would have hit rock bottom.

Can someone explain to me why asylum seekers (political or economic) are so desperate to come to the UK that they will pay huge amounts to people smugglers and risk their and their families’ lives, despite passing through other perfectly safe countries in Europe? I accept that some may have family who are here legally but they must be a small minority. This is a genuine question to which I would like an answer. Please do not pile in on me for asking it.

Did anyone else see a recent Saving Lives At Sea, where a RNLI crew rescued 34 migrants crammed into a dinghy in mid Channel? They weren’t in immediate danger of drowning - none of them was actually in the water, but the engine had packed up so the flimsy vessel was out of control. It was freezing weather and most of them - including some children - had completely inadequate clothing, so dying of hypothermia would have been an imminent danger if they hadn’t been rescued in time.,

I can’t see any RNLI crew refusing to help in such circs. Nor do I believe that any British jury would convict them, if they were later charged with an offence.

3 friends had exactly this dilemma some weeks back. They were delivering a sizeable boat ( more than capable of taking on board 50 migrants) from Essex to Portsmouth.
They were very aware when sailing off Dover that there was a possibility that they could see people in distress.
They were also aware that they could face people smuggling charges.
The seriousness of this: all 3 of these men are professionals on the water. That means they all have their ‘ tickets’ which they need to do the work they do.
If charged with people smuggling they would all loose their livelihoods.

I await the day when a prosecution is attempted against an RNLI crew for the rescue of migrants in danger. The RNLI are among the national household gods of the British (with very good reason) and I think all Hell would break loose.

One time I'm glad they are outside Government funding.

MayBee70

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

Isn't what they call abatoirs?

Good god, did the BBC really just say that 30 people have drowned?

I can assure you my comment WAS NOT A SUGGESTION - but written in despair of some of the comments here. Those Grans made me think of the 'Tricoteuses' who used to sit and knit in front of the guillotine, so they could enjoy the 'show'.

You know, this is an open forum- and I do wonder what the Press, including the French and other EU Press- would make of some of the comments here- and what would happen if it hit the headlines.

Kali2

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.

The high fences is an EU idea ... Greece, Hungary, Poland - still think its good?

Maybe, the British government could, sent up offices so that these distressed people could apply for asylum, in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory and then carry onto England easier for them and legal

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.