The images, unveiled this Friday, July 4 by the British press, are chaotic. French gendarmes have ripped off with knives with pneumatic canoes crowded with men, women and children on the beach of Saint-Etienne in Mont, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in Pas-de-Calais. A hundred migrants had just taken the sea, towards the United Kingdom, reports our colleagues from the BBC, present during the facts. On the beach, a group of gendarmes had remained motionless, explaining that they were unable to intervene, for lack of imminent danger for people on board.
But a few meters from the shore, the boat, heckled by powerful waves, would have started to show signs of distress. Dozens of other people, equipped with orange life vests, then tried to get on board too, risking capsizing the ship, as we can see on the video of the British public media. Passengers then started to shout. Very unusually, the French police officers present then decided to intervene.
The video shows them removing their bulletproof vests, put their equipment in the car, take out a small knife and rush into the water. Once near the canoe, a police officer then ripped him off, to prevent the British asylum candidates from continuing their journey. All were able to return to the beach after trying in vain to protest.
The boat was fired to the beach by the police while the landed people fled to the dunes to try to take over a bus for migrant camps located further north, reports the BBC. On June 13, TF1 Info reported, the French police officers had interception of a boat which had barely started its crossing, on Gravelines beach. An operation documented similarly documented by the British press.
Contacted, the Ministry of the Interior did not wish to comment and was content to send us back to the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais. Which confirmed to Libération The holding of this operation, on July 4 around 8:30 am. Detector “An immediate danger»For canoe passengers, “A very fragile evidence”, The prefecture ensures that the six soldiers intervened “By proportioning the answer” in order to “Avoid taking risk of passengers”. “No one has been injured or required assistance by help,” still ensures the prefecture.
On the British side, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson praised the action of the police, which, according to him, constitutes a “Significant moment”. “We want to see more firm measures, this is precisely the objective of our work. What you have seen is the result “he said.
