More than 70 organisations from across France willcome together on Saturday to protest in Calais about UK policies to try to stop people crossing the Channel.
At least 77 people died trying to cross the Channel in 2024, the highest number since crossings began in 2018. Non-governmental organisations that monitor these deaths believe the total figure last year was even higher, with 89 deaths at the UK-French border of people attempting to reach the UK.
The UK government has committed to stop Channel crossings by breaking up the people-smuggling gangs that organise them, but last year had the second highest number of crossing on record with 36,816 people reaching the UK via small boats, more than the 29,437 who crossed the Channel in 2023.
The 73 organisations involved in the Calais protest come from a range of human rights, political, anti-racist, student and environmental groups. Some of the people hoping to cross the Channel are expected to join them.
They are calling for the UK government to open safe and legal routes for migrants to reach the UK. They are also urging the French government to end hostile policies towards them and to introduce improved search and rescue capacities along the coast.
They say increased surveillance and policing on French beaches is forcing displaced people to turn to riskier routes during attempted crossings, setting off inland from canals or from further down the coastline, increasing the threat to life as more hours are spent in dangerous conditions.
The protesters add that evictions of migrant camps by French police are carried out at a frantic pace, with the police chasing people away and regularly seizing things necessary for their survival, including telephones, blankets and tents.
The mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, who is opposed to the presence of migrants in the town, called for the protest to be banned.
Flore Judet, a member of l’Auberge des Migrants, a group supporting migrants in northern France, condemned the attempt to halt the protest.
“The mayor has not succeeded in stopping our demonstration. There are 73 groups who are coming together and 150 organisations who have signed a letter condemning the harassment of migrants in northern France and the militarisation of the coastline. We are calling on the UK government to provide safe routes for migrants and to publish data on how many people are dying trying to cross the Channel.”
Lachlan Macrae, a committee member at the Calais Food Collective, one of the organisations taking part in the protest, said: “While the UK government carries forward the Tory legacy of “stop the boats” with Starmer’s relentless calls [to] “crush the criminal gangs”, there have been no commitments to improving search and rescue in the Channel or to expanding safe routes. British taxpayer funds should be focused towards saving lives at sea, not creating conditions which cost more lives.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Every life lost at sea is a tragedy, which is why our efforts are focused on saving lives, as well as protecting our borders.
“The people-smuggling gangs only care about profit and we are seeing their behaviour adapt, with more people crammed into flimsy and dangerous boats.
“Our joint work with France in preventing crossings is about stopping people putting themselves and others at risk. The UK already has a range of routes for those fleeing persecution such as our Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong schemes.”
