The horrifying reality of violence on the UK/France border was unveiled at Parliament this week.
On Monday, December 8, members of the Asylum Matters team were privileged to join Humans For Rights Network, Project Play, Utopia 56, Human Rights Observers and other NGOs and experts with lived experience of border violence, in Westminster, to launch Humans For Rights Network’s new report “You can’t stay but you can’t go”.
The report sets out in powerful detail the scale of state violence experienced by displaced people, including children, at the UK-France Border. And it reveals how, despite taking place on French soil, UK government policy and millions of pounds of UK taxpayer money are responsible for this rise in violence, and the serious injury and death it leads to.
It’s vital that our leaders understand how policies crafted in Westminster result in real pain and trauma for people at our border with nowhere else to go. Bringing that reality home to Parliament, ensuring people with lived experience of this violence were able to present their views at the heart of our democracy, is a vital step in securing the change that’s urgently needed to these dangerous policies.
Huge thanks go to all the MPs, peers and members of Parliamentary staff who attended; to the amazing organisations and individuals who shared their knowledge; and to Nadia Whittome MP for hosting the event.
The crucial findings of the report, which were set out in Parliament, include:
- Life for people on the move at the UK-France border is characterised by widespread state violence largely perpetrated by police officers.
- The use of tear gas and other forms of violence by police are endemic. This violence is used indiscriminately, including when children are present.
- The UK government funds a proportion of this violence and instigates violent policies through bilateral agreements with France as part of their increasing border securitisation. Since 2018, the UK government has pledged at least 763.4 million euros to the French government to ‘secure’ the border.
- People can’t stay safely at the northern French border due to the hostile ‘zero point of fixation’ policy enacted through constant encampment eviction operations and random police violence.
- People can’t safely leave France to cross to the UK due to a lack of safe routes and police repression of crossing attempts
- Reduced numbers of boats making it to the border (due to confiscations throughout Europe as they are being transported to the Channel) and an increase in police violence cause chaos at embarkation that has led to overcrowding and deaths by crushing.
- Measures adopted by the UK government to protect the border and curb ‘irregular’ migration have only caused danger and harm – they have not eliminated the need for people to cross to the UK, but only made it more dangerous for people to do so.
See the full findings from Humans For Rights Network, here.
