Minister: The UK is using France as a “punching bag” for the migrant crisis | France

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France’s interior minister fired another shot in the cross-channel row over migrants hours before he met Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel, in Paris, blaming the British government for the crisis and saying the UK needed to iron out its labor market.

Speaking about the situation in the French port of Calais and Dunkirk, on France’s northern coast, where thousands of migrants are waiting to reach Britain, Gerald Darmanen said it was the UK’s inaction that encouraged people to attempt the risky crossing.

“Why do people go to Calais? To get into Britain. And why do they want to go to Britain? Because the British labor market works, in many ways… with informal workers,” he said.

He added: “We are not learning lessons from the British… They should stop using us as a punching bag for their internal politics. We are neither their aide nor their aid.”

“I would like to remind my British counterpart that the NGOs that prevent the police and gendarmerie from operating (in Calais) are largely British NGOs with British nationals on French soil engaged in agitation.

“Smugglers, who organize networks and exploit women and children… are also often in Britain.”

Darmanin told CNews that the British government needs to change its laws to discourage immigrants who are drawn to the UK, saying: “Britain’s labor industry operates largely thanks to a reserve army, as Karl Marx said, of irregulars working at low cost.”

“If the British tighten up their legislation – they have begun to do it but don’t go far enough – people will not stay in Calais or Dunkirk,” he said.

He added: “We are negatively affected by British politics and should not reverse roles.”

Last Thursday, an estimated 1,185 people crossed the canal by boat, a record for crossing in one day. It is feared that three people drowned in the busy sea lane. More than 23,000 people have made the journey across the Channel to the UK by boat so far this year, a marked increase from 8,400 in 2020. The British government has accused France of failing to get the situation under control.

The direct tone of Darmanin’s comments, following Patel’s comments over the weekend that France “must stop 100% of the boats” trying to cross, suggests that Monday’s meeting between the two ministers will be very tense.

French police say that while they block more crossings, they cannot stop all attempts because there are too many migrants, the coastline is too long to patrol around the clock, and smugglers are too clever at evading security measures.

Claire Melot, general secretary of the Peace Association, which helps migrants in the coastal region of Calais, told French media: “Since this summer, the crossings of small boats have increased dramatically. There have been very few drownings, so words have spread and attempts multiplied.”

She said the arrival of winter and unfavorable weather conditions could lead to more deaths. “The situation is about to change, we are very afraid that the crossings will continue despite the winter as well as the tragedies,” she said.

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