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Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Grinning small boat migrant chronicles his journey across the Channel to the UK - as he films himself celebrating on Blackpool beach after illegally crossing into Britain
A small boat migrant who was helped across the Channel by the French authorities is documenting his 'best life' in Britain on TikTok. Shocking footage filmed by the migrant and posted on the social media platform showed him on a small boat with around 20 other men being given bottles of water by the French coastguard. The group of around 30 men cheer, wave and hold out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water. Despite crossings being against the law - and often deadly - the coastguard made no attempt to stop the boat or urge them to return. It was posted on the TikTok of an account of a man, believed to be from Iraq, called Youssef Hassan. He has more than 5,000 followers. The footage of the crossing was posted this week and clearly shows him holding his phone in a selfie position. Another video sees him on the same small boat talking to the camera with people on the boat with him. Young children can be seen in the centre of the boat. His TikTok now shows him enjoying living in Blackpool, Lancashire. The social media giant has been accused of being an 'online travel agent for illegal crossings'. His profile has the phrase: 'I live in peace and I post videos that I shoot for myself and for my personal page. Greetings to everyone.' He has posted numerous videos of him enjoying his time in the Lancashire town, including the iconic Blackpool Tower. He is believed to have travelled through Germany for the boat crossing. He posted videos of him last month in the country. Videos from Blackpool started this month, and include shots of him outside an amusement arcade. One follower urged him to return to Iraq and wrote: 'Go back to your family, living abroad is hard. There is nothing better than Iraq, I swear.' But others wished him well, writing: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing your dreams will come true. May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' The migrant was with a group of around 30 men seen cheering, waving and holding out their hands in thanks to the French boat which travels right next to them to hand over the water He replied: 'You are my soul.' Other clips show him outside the Coral Island children's amusement centre in Blackpool. Each has thousands of views. On the clip featuring him on the boat, some followers question how easy and safe it is to make it to Britain on a small boat. One follower boasted how easy it is. He wrote: 'My brother, you will reach Britain, and Britain does not allow rejection and does not allow deportation. 'The English language and work are all Iraqis and it is the best country and trust.' Another commented him to say: 'May God protect you, my dear Youssef. Congratulations on your arrival in Britain. God willing, your dreams will come true. 'May God ease your mind and your future. You deserve all the best, my brother.' Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'TikTok is basically an online travel agent for illegal crossings. How on earth is this allowed? 'It's just an online advert to say come to Britain, it's easy and you'll have a great life. It's very worrying.' One source said: 'It looks like this guy is living his best life here in Britain. It's sticking two fingers up to the authorities. 'Not only was he basically helped to get here, he's now living a very good life.' According to the latest government figures at least 21,000 people have embarked on the perilous journey across the Channel since January, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. Earlier this month, Keir Starmer announced a new pilot scheme that will see migrants arriving via small boat being detained and returned to France. A one-in, one-out system will operate with migrants sent back to France in exchange for asylum seekers. But the scheme could be canned if it is found to be ineffective. The new scheme has been condemned by campaigners, who said they would support court cases brought by small-boat arrivals chosen to be sent back to France. A border union boss said the legal challenges could take a year. Brussels ominously warned that it was assessing whether the scheme complied with the 'spirit and the letter of the law', while governments including Italy were said to be harbouring 'huge doubts' about its legality. Meanwhile Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refused to say how many of the thousands arriving by dinghy will be removed under the pilot scheme, amid fears it could be even fewer than the 50 a week suggested by French officials. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Mail: 'This pathetic arrangement may be sunk by legal challenges from activist lawyers and irresponsible charities who want to facilitate illegal immigration into the UK. 'With illegal immigration across the Channel so far this year hitting record levels, Keir Starmer must now be bitterly regretting his foolish decision to cancel the Rwanda deterrent scheme before it even started. 'After two years of legal challenges and legislation, the scheme was ready to go, but Starmer cancelled it just days before the first plane was due to take off last July. 'This would have enabled 100 per cent of the illegal immigrants to be immediately removed without judicial interference. 'The boats would soon have stopped. But Starmer is too weak and too mentally enslaved by his human rights lawyer friends to do what is needed to protect our country's borders.' Downing Street insisted the controversial 'one in, one out' agreement was legally sound and that Brussels supported it. But fearing that returned migrants could head to Italy, the country's interior minister told Sky News: 'We know the EU Commission is still evaluating the agreement, and EU countries, including us, have huge doubts about security and legal aspects of the deal.' It has been a decade since a sporadic number of boats with migrants on board arriving off the Kent coast from France was reported in the media. At the time, the focus was mainly on the thousands of attempts by migrants in northern France, who were attempting to stowaway on lorries and ferries to the UK. In the nearby Calais Jungle thousands of people, including children, were living under canvass in a camp which was later cleared by the French authorities. But as security was tightened around the ports and Eurotunnel, within three years, significant numbers were using small boats instead to make the dangerous crossing. The cost for a single small boat journey can cost upwards of £1,500 for a single person with no guarantee that the journey will be a success.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment French coastguard hand out lifejackets to migrants on small boat as they prepare to cross the Channel for Britain
This is the horrifying moment the French handed out lifejackets to migrants about to cross the Channel instead of dragging them back to the beach. The coastguard made no effort to stop the inflatable boat before it motored off towards the UK with mainly young men on board near Calais this morning. The embarrassing footage is yet another humiliation for Sir Keir Starmer as record numbers are crossing the Channel illegally to claim asylum in the UK and he heralded a 'one in one out' deal with France. It came days after Emmanuel Macron promised a tougher approach was afforded a three-day state visit by King Charles including a lavish state banquet at Windsor Castle. But this doesn't appear to have been passed on to those policing the French coast. Today the French authorities approached an overcrowded dinghy that had just set off from the beach at Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais. But instead of turning the perilously full boat around, police came alongside in relatively shallow water and began passing those on board lifejackets. The dinghy then motored off towards the UK. No police were seen on the beach when the groups of people came out of the sand dunes and attempted to board the black inflatable boat. Witnesses saw one boat drop off several men at around 5am, who went into the sand dunes, before a second boat came close to shore, circling until the migrants appeared on the beach. The people, including a family with two children, put themselves into groups before trying to climb onto the boat. Around 40 people, believed to be about half of the full group, left on the dinghy. Last week more than 500 small boat migrants arrived in Britain on the day Sir Keir Starmer signed his 'one in, one out' deal with Emmanuel Macron. The figures were yet another blow to the Labour leader as the number of crossings over the year so far rose to 21,690, which is more than a 50 per cent higher than 2024. It came as a pact was agreed by the PM and Mr Macron during his state visit to the UK is already unravelling. There are questions over whether the scheme - which would see Britain send some Channel arrivals back but agree to take other asylum seekers from France - could even be blocked by the EU Commission. Unveiling the plan alongside Mr Macron, Sir Keir claimed it was 'ground-breaking' and would 'prove the concept that if you come over by small boats, then you will be returned to France '. But as the Anglo-French summit was being held, hundreds more migrants were crossing the Channel from northern France. Border experts said the proposals were 'scratching a very bare minimum of the surface'. Leaks had suggested 50 migrants a week, around one in 17 arrivals, would be sent back to France initially. But that was seemingly not signed off by the leaders. Touring broadcast studios this morning, Ms Cooper said: 'The numbers are not fixed, even for this pilot phase that we are starting now. 'So this will be a programme that we roll out step-by-step, and we will provide updates as we go. 'But we are going to do this in a steady way.' Despite signs EU states could object to the UK-France deal, Ms Cooper told LBC she was confident Brussels would let it go ahead. 'We have been talking to the EU commissioners. We've also been talking to other European interior ministers and governments throughout this process,' she said. 'The French interior minister and I have been speaking about this to develop this since October of last year, and the EU commissioners have been very supportive. 'So that is why we have designed this in a way to work, not just for the UK and France, but in order to fit with all their concerns as well.' She added: 'Because we've done that work all the way through, we do expect the EU Commission to continue to be supportive.' Ms Cooper also played down Mr Macron's jibe that Brexit had made tackling illegal immigration harder, arguing people smugglers would 'weaponise anything'. Downing Street said the UK is 'confident' the agreement complies with both domestic and international law and has discussed the plans with Brussels. The PM's spokesman said: 'We've done a lot of work to make sure the system is robust to legal challenges, and of course, France is a safe country and a member of the ECHR. 'We're confident that this arrangement complies with both domestic and international law, and clearly… we've discussed these arrangements already with the (European) Commission.' Sir Keir is holding talks with his Cabinet at an 'away day' at Chequers, his grace-and-favour Chequers country estate. Sir Keir said the governments were taking 'hard-headed, aggressive action'. 'For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order,' he said. In exchange for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here via a safe route, controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.' But the PM failed to say how quickly migrants will be sent back in total or on a weekly basis when the scheme launches, which he said would be in the 'coming weeks'. Mr Macron said the deal needed legal ratification first, without putting a time frame on it.
Saudi Gazette
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
France seizes UK fishing vessel over alleged illegal activity in Channel waters
BOULOGNE, France — French authorities have impounded a British fishing vessel accused of operating illegally in French territorial waters, reigniting political tensions over post-Brexit fishing rights and enforcement. The vessel was seized by the French Navy on Thursday night in the English Channel and is now being held at the port of Boulogne pending a potential prosecution. French officials allege the crew was fishing without a valid licence. According to the French Coastguard, the naval patrol ship Pluvier intercepted the British vessel during a routine inspection on 23 May and ordered it to dock in Boulogne 'for the purpose of initiating prosecution.' No timeline has been given for the legal proceedings. The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is supporting a British national in France and is in contact with local authorities. 'As the vessel remains subject to an ongoing investigation by French fisheries authorities, we are unable to comment further at this time,' a UK government spokesperson said. The incident has stirred political criticism in the UK, especially following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's recent agreement with the European Union, which includes a controversial provision granting EU fishing boats access to UK waters for an additional 12 years. The agreement is part of a broader reset deal covering trade, defence, and energy. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused France of 'shameful double standards,' claiming French authorities do little to intercept migrant boats crossing the Channel, yet acted swiftly in this case. 'If the French can now intercept boats then they should start stopping the boats with illegal immigrants — as international law obliges them to do,' Philp said. The Conservatives and Reform UK have called the deal a 'surrender' to Brussels, while the Liberal Democrats praised it as a constructive step toward rebuilding UK–EU ties. — BBC
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Two migrants die after falling unconscious during crossing of English Channel
Two migrants have died trying to cross the English Channel overnight, the French coastguard has said. A rescue operation was launched after the pair became unconscious on a boat carrying nearly 80 migrants, which left the shore from Gravelines, northern France, the coastguard said on Wednesday. A French Navy boat set out to make contact with the boat to recover the two people and 10 others who needed help. First responders from the vessel performed first aid on the two people, but a medical team later confirmed their deaths. All those rescued were taken to Calais, while the remaining migrants on the boat continued their journey towards British waters under French Navy surveillance. Pictures show migrants wrapped in blankets disembarking from a Border Force boat in Dover, Kent, on Wednesday morning. Others were also brought to shore in an RNLI lifeboat. The deaths on Wednesday come just days after another migrant was confirmed dead after a small boat sank in the Channel. The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said on Monday that 62 people were pulled from the water after the 'overloaded' boat broke up overnight. Latest Home Office figures show 49 people in one boat arrived in the UK on Tuesday, bringing the provisional total of arrivals for the year so far to 12,748. This is up 29% on the number recorded at this point last year (9,874) and 75% higher than the same point in 2023 (7,297), according to analysis of the data by the PA news agency. It is also a record number for this point in the calendar year since data was first collected in 2018. Reacting to the deaths, the head of campaigns at charity Safe Passage International, Gunes Kalkan, said: 'It's been another devastating week in the Channel, with more people needlessly losing their lives in search of safety. 'These losses can't be prevented whilst people fleeing war and persecution don't have safe routes to ask for protection here. 'We need international cooperation with European nations to be focused on providing safe routes and protection, through a refugee visa and expanding family reunion.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Migrant dies crossing Channel as mother-and-child among 62 people pulled from water
A migrant trying to cross the Channel has died after an 'overloaded' boat broke up overnight. French authorities say 62 people were pulled from the water, including one person who was unconscious. They were tragically declared dead by medics on board a French assistance and rescue intervention (RIAS) tug Abeille Normandie. READ MORE: Vegan family left feeling 'sick' during meat loving neighbours' BBQ issue stern note READ MORE: 'His massive mistake has destroyed our family...' A child and his mother were among the dozens who survived the incident, officials say. Both were found to be suffering with hypothermia before being airlifted to hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The others were dropped off at Boulogne-sur-Mer quay and taken care of by the land rescue services. The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea confirmed the incident this morning (May 19). RIAS recovered 50 people from the water, while the RNLI recovered two people and the Border Force Ranger nine people. All those rescued were transferred to the Abeille. A French Navy helicopter which assisted in the search spotted the unconscious person in the water. The French coastguard warned of the dangers of crossing the Channel, saying the stretch of water is one of the busiest in the world, with more than 600 merchant ships passing through every day. --- Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it. That's why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you Unmissable, highlighting the best of what we do - bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don't miss out, and see what else we have to offer, by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News. And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter Due North. You can also sign up for that here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to Coronation Street. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it. And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on newsdesk@ or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.
