Migrant Threatens Man With Knife Before Boarding UK-Bound Boat
Incident occurs amid rising tensions and reports of custom-made vessels used for Channel crossings.
A migrant was observed threatening another individual with a knife before boarding a small boat attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain. Footage from Hardelot-Plage in northern France shows the man, waist-deep in water, brandishing a knife and issuing a threat, "I will kill you," to another person. Onlookers attempted to intervene, and one person alerted the coastguard to the man being armed. The migrant then appeared to drop the knife into the water before boarding the vessel.
It remains unclear if the individual reached British shores. The incident occurred as dozens of other migrants were preparing to make the journey.
This event follows a recent report of migrants using a "custom-made" small boat adorned with colors resembling the Kurdish flag, an apparent nod to trafficking gangs. More than 20 men were filmed aboard such a vessel off a Belgian beach early Thursday, with local police present.
Witnesses expressed concern over the apparent inaction of Belgian authorities, with one stating, "The police could come and slash this boat easily to stop it." The boat's departure occurred around 3 a.m. local time from a beach near the French border.
Politicians have reacted to the ongoing Channel crossings. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the government's approach, stating that "Kurdish people smugglers are now openly laughing in the Government’s faces." He advocated for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights to facilitate the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also commented, suggesting that Belgian and French authorities are passively observing the situation. He noted the "custom-made" boat matching the Kurdish flag and remarked, "The gangs are laughing at us."
The Channel has seen an increase in dangerous crossings. In July, French police investigated the discovery of a migrant's body on a Calais beach, with investigators suspecting the perpetrators may have fled to Britain by small boat. In August, an Afghan national was found deceased aboard a dinghy in the English Channel.
A Border Force vessel, BSC Courageous, was observed operating in the strait east of Calais during the reported timeframe of the custom-made boat's departure.