Campaigners criticise PM’s ‘inflammatory’ message over migrant crisis
BORIS Johnson’s warning that migrants would be sent back if they crossed the English Channel to the UK have been branded as “inflammatory” and “misleading” by campaigners.
The Prime Minister’s comments came after a surge in attempts – with nearly 100 people taking to small boats to try to make the crossing from France to the UK in one day.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is to seek talks with her French counterpart, the Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, to address the crisis.
Mr Johnson told reporters: “Clearly the most important thing is to stop them coming across from France, so we are working very closely with the French authorities.
“The point I would just make to people thinking of making this journey – one, it is very hazardous, you may think the weather looks great but it’s a very, very dangerous thing to do.
“The second thing is – we will send you back. The UK should not be regarded as a place where you could automatically come and break the law by seeking to arrive illegally. If you come illegally, you are an illegal migrant and I’m afraid the law will treat you as such.”
The UK has a legal obligation under what is known as the Dublin Regulation to ensure asylum applications lodged are examined and considered.
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said: “The UK is perfectly capable of providing safety and a dignified welcome for desperate people trapped in limbo across Europe.
“Those who are forced to take dangerous means of reaching our shores have a legal right to have their voice heard and we should be creating safe and legal routes for vulnerable people to come.
“Johnson’s comment is misleading, designed to inflame tension and, if put in practice, would violate international law.”
Annette Elder, a partner at human rights law firm Elder Rahimi and a member of the Law Society’s immigration committee, told the PA news agency: “Clearly it’s not possible to say that everyone who crosses the Channel in small boats from France is going to be sent back.
“The UK is bound by legal obligations. “This is another example of the way asylum-seekers are criminalised. To talk about people illegally crossing the Channel – it’s inflammatory.
“It misrepresents the situation. Everyone has a right to seek asylum.”
One way Mr Johnson could seek to tackle the crisis was by resolving problems with legal processes so they worked more effectively, she added.
Dr Lisa Doyle, director of advocacy at the Refugee Council, said: “The fact that people are attempting to cross one of the world’s busiest and most dangerous shipping lanes highlights the sense of desperation that is gripping so many of the people stuck in northern France.
“It is vital that all governments in Europe work together to ensure people do not feel forced to take such extreme and dangerous risks, rather than threaten those who do.”