VILE ADS FOR PEOPLE SMUGGLING MUST GO
Minister’s ‘name & shame’ vow to ‘immoral’ social media firms
THREAT Philp
SOCIAL media giants were ordered yesterday to remove adverts by people-smugglers peddling perilous trips across the English Channel.
Immigration Minister Chris Philp threatened to name and shame “morally reprehensible” firms hosting the “marketing material” of criminal gangs who are “exploiting migrants for financial gain”.
He told the Commons Home Affairs Committee:
“Where law enforcement agencies point to material inciting illegal activity or effectively acting as marketing material for ruthless people-smugglers, social media companies are under a moral obligation to take that down very quickly.
“If it turns out companies are continuing to behave in this way, it is something I will be raising with them. I would be prepared to name companies in future not acting in a proper manner.
“It is morally reprehensible for social media companies to leave this material online when it is acting as marketing collateral for criminals.” Just 299 migrants came to the UK on small boats and inflatables in 2018, rising to 1,844 last year, he told the committee. In the first nine months of 2020, 6,901 landed – with an estimated 1,300 arriving in October and November.
Mr Philp also revealed Britain has handed France £ 192million since September 2014 to stop illegal migrants trying to come here.
Meanwhile, committee chair Yvette Cooper clashed with him over claims the Home Office had considered housing asylum seekers on disused offshore oil platforms, mothballed ferries and Ascension Island in the South Atlantic while claims were processed.
She also tackled him over suggestions British vessels could deploy “giant wave machines” to repel migrant boats.
Ms Cooper said: “It would improve your credibility if you could just rule out some of the bonkers proposals.”
Mr Philp said there were “currently no plans” to use such ideas.
Material is acting as marketing collateral of criminals
CHRIS PHILP ON SOCIAL MEDIA TRAFFICKING ADS