Progressive and anti-racist groups in the UK have condemned the refugee policy of the Tory government which continues to lead to deaths in the English Channel. On Monday, August 14, activists from Stand UP To Racism organized a vigil in Downing Street, London, protesting the death of six refugees who drowned in the English Channel on the morning of August 12. Protestors blamed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s anti-refugee policy, dubbed ‘Stop the Boats,’ for the deaths. The group raised the slogan, ‘Don’t let them drown – refugees welcome.’ Activists from the group Care 4 Calais organized a vigil in the French port city of Calais and paid tributes to the victims of the tragedy.
According to reports, on Saturday morning, the French and British coastguards were informed about an overcrowded refugee boat carrying around 65 people that was sinking off the French town of Sangatte. While they managed to rescue most of the people on board, six people died and a search is ongoing for those who are missing. All the men who died in the tragedy were from Afghanistan. The incident marked the worst loss of life in the English Channel since November 2021 when at least 27 people died near Calais.
Activists say the continuing deaths in the English Channel are a result of the inhumane crackdown on migrants coming to the UK, epitomized by the Stop the Boat policy. Meanwhile, the notorious Illegal Migration Bill introduced by the Tory government was passed on July 20, which calls to detain and remove those who arrive in the UK by illegal means and blocks them from returning.
In November 2022, the UK also updated its deal with France to increase surveillance in the English Channel to block migrant crossings. The UK has also struck multiple deals with Albania to facilitate the return of Albanian refugees who failed to secure asylum in the UK, those in jail, and people with expired visas.
On June 29, the London Court of Appeal in a historic judgment invalidated the UK’s notorious Rwanda asylum plan which envisaged the relocation of refugees to Rwanda for processing their asylum and resettlement.
Plans to house asylum seekers in barges docked in British ports was another notorious move by the Sunak government which received widespread condemnation. Last week, after the discovery of deadly bacteria in the water system of the refugee prison barge, Bibby Stockholm, in the Portland Harbour in Dorset, anti-racist groups organized protests and the refugees were relocated to hotels.
Stand Up to Racism said on August 14, “Refugees drownings in the Channel are a product of government policy that dehumanizes refugees, forcing people to make perilous journeys and risk their lives. Despite the continued loss of life the government is refusing to introduce safe routes for these refugees – like they did with Ukrainian refugees – even though the majority of these asylum seekers have their claims upheld. Instead this callous government is choosing to whip up racism.”
Care 4 Calais stated following its vigil, “It was a somber moment, seeing so many people who had come to this vigil to remember not only these victims, but also the 11 others who died in 2023, and the 376 who have died on the French-British border since 1999.”
