French authorities are demanding that the UK crack down on UK charities that help migrants planning to cross the Channel
- Charities have been accused of ‘frustrating’ efforts to intercept Channel migrants
- French authorities have requested urgent action to reduce their activities
- The French added that charities were helping migrants on their journeys to the UK
French officials have demanded a crackdown on British charities which they accuse of “persistently frustrating” attempts to intercept Channel migrants.
Authorities in northern France have raised concerns about UK-funded organizations and handed over a dossier of evidence to their British counterparts, according to the Mail.
They also called for urgent action to restrict the activities of charities, a diplomatic source said.
In some cases, the French accuse charities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of helping migrants on their journeys to the UK.
Several hundred migrants are thought to have crossed the English Channel yesterday, after Sunday saw the highest number of arrivals so far this year at 442
For example, volunteers reportedly acted as “watchers” on the French coastline to steer migrants away from beach patrols so they could launch dinghies without being intercepted.
“The French have raised very serious concerns with our government about UK-based NGOs in northern France,” the source said.
“They are powerfully p ***** off. The frustration of the process of stopping the illegal immigration of migrants from the north of France is constant.
British officials have reportedly told their French counterparts they will support any decision to deny entry to any charity worker they believe has broken the law.
In some cases, the French accuse charities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of helping migrants on their journeys to the UK
“The French handed over evidence and said ‘Please stop this’. But there is little the UK can do as this is taking place on French soil.
British officials have reportedly told their French counterparts they will support any decision to deny entry to any charity worker they believe has broken the law.
“But I don’t think they’re there yet. It’s a surveillance file,’ the source said, adding that at least seven groups are under ‘constant surveillance’ amid fears they are breaking the law.
The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into a UK-based migrant charity, Care4Calais, in August 2021. Its findings have not yet been published.
Pictured: A migrant who arrived without shoes stands in flip flops donated by a volunteer from the Care4Calais charity for the refugee crisis
At the time, the watchdog said it was reviewing “whether there has been mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity by the trustees”, as well as its financial controls and other issues. The survey does not cover the actions of volunteers in helping migrants.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin previously accused British charities of obstructing efforts to arrest Channel migrants.
He turned fire on UK aid workers in 2021, saying that “the NGOs that prevent the police and the gendarmerie from working are largely British NGOs with British citizens who are on French soil”.
In November, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a £63m deal with France to tackle the Channel crisis
Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, one of Britain’s leading groups working with migrants in the Channel, dismissed the claims, saying at the time that her charity existed “solely to provide humanitarian aid”.
In November, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a £63million deal with France to tackle the Channel crisis.
Describing it as a “big step forward”, she said the deal with Emmanuel Macron’s government would see the British taxpayer foot the bill for a range of anti-trafficking measures in France.
Volunteers are said to have acted as “spotters” on the French coastline to steer migrants away from beach patrols so they can launch dinghies without being intercepted.
British Border Force officers have already been deployed as “spotters” around French beaches, working alongside gendarmes for the first time, as well as at French hotspots fighting smugglers. The number of gendarmes patrolling the beaches is also expected to increase by 40% to 350 by April.
Several hundred migrants are thought to have crossed the English Channel yesterday, after Sunday saw the highest number of arrivals so far this year at 442.
