Flight supposed to carry migrants from UK to Rwanda is canceled
The Boeing 767 which was to bring migrants to Rwanda, at the Amesbury military base, June 14, 2022. © JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP
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2 mins
It was announced with great fanfare by the British government: the first plane to deport migrants was to take off this Tuesday evening for Rwanda.
Eventually, the European Court of Human Rights forced the charter to remain grounded.
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It's a humiliating setback for the British government: despite its determination to deport migrants to Rwanda to deter illegal arrivals in the UK, the first flight, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was canceled following last-minute appeals .
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted the passengers of the plane a suspension of their obligation to leave the territory, explains our correspondent in London,
Emeline Vin
.
An intervention a few minutes before the announced departure of the plane, which was to take migrants who arrived illegally in Great Britain, to Rwanda, to seek asylum there.
The associations had filed an appeal on Monday June 13, after the failure of their possibilities in the United Kingdom.
One by one, the plane's passengers therefore exited the plane - the ECHR recommends that no one be deported before it examines the request.
The country remains dependent on the Court of Strasbourg, an institution of the Council of Europe and not of the European Union.
“
Last ticket canceled.
NO ONE IS LEAVING TO RWANDA
,” tweeted refugee support organization Care4Calais, which had announced previous deportation cancellations.
BREAKING: Last ticket cancelled.
NO ONE IS GOING TO RWANDA
— Care4Calais (@Care4Calais) June 14, 2022
A disappointment for the British government
With its plan to send asylum seekers who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to this East African country, more than 6,000 km from London, the government claims to curb illegal crossings of the Channel, which stop rising despite its repeated promises to control immigration since Brexit.
This new UK migration policy has been criticized since it was announced in April.
NGOs accuse London of outsourcing its asylum system to a country with little respect for its minorities.
Until Tuesday evening, the British government promised to take off the plane even with a single migrant on board.
Priti Patel, the Minister of the Interior, speaks of her “
disappointment
” and indicates that preparations for the next flight will be launched this Tuesday evening.
"
We will not be discouraged from doing the right thing and implementing our plans to control our country's borders
," she added.
This project, criticized by the UN, is very popular among the conservative electorate, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to restore his authority after having escaped a vote of no confidence from his party.
(
With
AFP)
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