Migrants in Calais: British no longer welcome at crisis meeting
On Thursday, November 25, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked France to take back illegal immigrants who would manage to reach the shores of Great Britain, triggering the anger of Paris.
ANDY BUCHANAN AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Less than 48 hours after the tragedy of Wednesday evening, 27 migrants drowned in the English Channel as they tried to cross to the United Kingdom, Paris and London called in the wake of greater cooperation, but here are the British uninvited from a meeting Sunday in Calais after the words of Boris Johnson who asked France yesterday to take back the migrants who have reached Great Britain.
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The planned meeting between European ministers will take place on Sunday, November 28 in Calais to try to break the deadlock.
But without the UK.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin canceled the invitation to the British.
The reason for this crisis: the remarks made by Boris Johnson asking France to take back the immigrants arriving in Great Britain.
Until then, France and the United Kingdom seemed to want to improve their collaboration to avoid a new tragedy in the waters of the Channel, but the letter of Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron, made public, accelerated the tension of relations and the minister of the French Interior canceled the visit of his British counterpart Priti Patel.
► To reread: Migration, another Franco-British puzzle for the EU
Boris Johnson's letter is "
indigent in substance and out of place
," commented government spokesman Gabriel Attal.
The meeting is still being held with the European Commission and the Belgian, German and Dutch ministers responsible for immigration to fight against smuggling networks.
“
The problem goes beyond our borders.
This is why we are going to work on common solutions from Sunday with our European partners,
”said Gérald Darmanin's entourage.
“
The British government chooses to engage in domestic politics at a time when our only priority should be to avoid further tragedies in the Channel.
We regret it
”, continued in the entourage of the Minister.
► To reread: Shipwreck of migrants: the networks of smugglers and the immigration conditions in question
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