Utopia 56 reports increase in French police violence against migrants
French non-governmental organization Utopia 56 has reported an increase in accounts of police violence against people attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats and reach the United Kingdom. According to the organization, 2,720 people have reported being victims of violence by French law enforcement officers since the beginning of the year. During the same period last year, there were 1,954 such reports, although the total number of crossings was significantly higher then.
As The Guardian World reports, Utopia 56 operates on beaches from which migrants attempt to depart for the British coast. The organization says that increased law enforcement measures on French beaches, funded by the United Kingdom, have made such crossings more dangerous and less organized. Since the start of the year, at least 21 people have died while attempting to cross the channel to the United Kingdom.
Reports of beatings and tear gas
Utopia 56's report refers to alleged beatings and the use of tear gas. The organization also said that during the recent heatwave, gas canisters were used among sand dunes, which it believes created a fire risk.
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According to the NGO, at least ten families were separated as a result of law enforcement actions on the beaches. One documented case, according to the organization, occurred on July 27: a French gendarmerie buggy driving along the beach in an attempt to stop a group of migrants ran over a woman's leg.
UK government data
Earlier this year, the United Kingdom and France concluded an agreement worth £660 million. Under the arrangements, France deployed a unit to counter attempts to launch boats. The UK Home Office said that from April 27 to August 2, French law enforcement officers prevented 185 boats and more than 4,300 people from crossing the English Channel.
The British department also said that the number of small-boat crossings of the English Channel since the beginning of the year had fallen by more than 40% compared with the same period last year, while July's figure was the lowest for that month since 2020. According to its data, following the elections, joint action by France and the United Kingdom made it possible to prevent more than 48,000 crossing attempts and seize 1,100 boats and engines. Utopia 56 stresses that confiscating life jackets does not stop smugglers but may increase the risk of drownings.
