Macron criticizes what he considers "not serious" behavior by London on the file

Tensions escalate between France and Britain over the migrant crisis

A team from the Royal Lifeboat Corporation follows the rescue of migrants on Dungeness Beach in southeast England.

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The crisis between Paris and London crossed a new threshold, the day before yesterday, with France canceling the British attendance of a meeting devoted to the migrant crisis, at the height of the already persistent tension over the post-Brexit fisheries dispute.

Paris had decided to cancel the participation of the British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, in a meeting scheduled today, on the migrant file, which poisons relations between the two countries.

London called on Paris to reverse its decision, which came after a letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking the French to take back migrants who had arrived illegally in the United Kingdom, after 27 of them died when their boat sank while trying to cross the Channel.

French President Emmanuel Macron criticized what he considered "not serious" behavior by London regarding the migrant file, and in response to a question about this message, during a press conference in Rome, Macron said: "I am surprised by the methods when they are not serious."

He added, "There is no communication between one official and another about such issues through (Twitter) and through the publication of messages."

In a letter he sent to Priti Patel, the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmannan, considered that Johnson's letter to the French president itself "constitutes disappointment", stressing that the decision to publish it is "worse yet."

Accordingly, he canceled Patel's participation in the meeting to which the Ministers in charge of Migration Affairs of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium had been invited, as well as the European Commission.

Despite these very harsh criticism, London asked Paris to invite the Home Secretary again.

British Transport Minister Grant Shapps told the BBC, "No country can handle the issue alone, I hope the French will reconsider their decision."

He added: "This is in their interest and ours, and certainly in the interest of the people who are being trafficked by being smuggled into the UK, with the tragic scenes we see and the death of individuals."

The dispute came less than two days after a ship sank off Calais, killing 27 migrants, including 17 men, seven women and three young men, in the worst incident since the number of crossings of the Channel rose in 2018, in the face of the increasing closure of the port of Calais and the train tunnel that It was used until then.

The crossing of clandestine migrants is a sensitive point, and a subject of constant tension for the British Conservative government, which made the fight against immigration the focus of its campaign at the height of "Brexit", and is facing a large influx of refugees on the coast of southern England, and France and Britain seemed willing to silence their differences and improve coordination between them, But Boris Johnson's request led to tension with Paris.

"I propose that we draw up a bilateral readmission agreement to allow the return of all illegal immigrants crossing the Channel," he said in his letter, referring to similar agreements the European Union has concluded with Belarus or Russia.

Priti Patel seemed to be on the same page, and called before British MPs for a "coordinated international effort".

But the French government's spokesman, Gabriel Attal, told BFMTV that "there is enough double rhetoric and the constant export of problems" by Britain.

"It makes us wonder whether Boris Johnson has not regretted leaving Europe, because once he has a problem, he considers that Europe has to deal with it," he added.

In response to a question about whether Paris would cancel the Toquette agreements, which have defined the British border on the French coast since 2004, in exchange for financial compensation, the French government spokesman said that whatever agreements applied, "it absolutely cannot be done."

"You can never change geography, geopolitical balances, or the desire of immigrants who want to go to Britain," he added.

As of November 20, 31,500 migrants have left the French coast for Britain since the beginning of the year.

On the other hand, tension has escalated on both sides of the English Channel since Britain's exit from the European Union, especially over fishing.

French fishermen began disrupting the movement of ferries that take trips with Britain in the port of Calais in northern France, demanding a settlement of fishing disputes arising from "Brexit" with the United Kingdom.

Five fishing vessels from the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer blocked the entrance to the port, in an operation that would last an hour and a half, as part of a national day of action for French fishermen.

France is threatening sanctions if the fishermen do not obtain more licenses to operate in British waters.

The French fishermen began closing the Channel Tunnel and the Normandy port of Westerham, in a new phase after the ports of Calais and Saint Malo, to demand a settlement of the dispute with London.

The fishermen on board dozens of trucks and cars prevented the entry and exit of freight trucks from the freight station in the tunnel.

About 40 fishermen demonstrated on the ground, holding a banner that read, "We want our licenses back." They also banned boarding the next ferry.

This initiative, which is an icon in harbours, is disrupting the work of the European Tunnel, through which 25% of trade passes between the UK and Europe.

• 31,500 immigrants have left the French coast for Britain since the beginning of the year.

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