On Saturday morning, French police engaged in a tense standoff with migrants attempting to set sail from near Calais, only hours before at least 700 new vessels reached UK shores on the same day.
This confrontation unfolded in Grand-Fort-Philippe, a town north of Calais, where members of the gendarmerie deployed tear gas during the altercation.
At dawn, a group of approximately 30 migrants tried to maneuver a dinghy down the river, aiming to embark on their journey.
However, their plans were thwarted as police arrived and quickly intervened, dispersing tear gas towards the migrants. In footage captured and shared by GB News, the migrants can be heard shouting at the officers.
This incident marks the second consecutive weekend of significant migrant crossings over the English Channel, with 700 boats making their way on Saturday alone.
These crossings come after nearly a month of inactivity due to inclement weather. As conditions improved with the calming winds, people smugglers seized the opportunity to send hundreds more across in small boats.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.
‘This Government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
French police clashed with migrants on Saturday morning as they attempted to launch a dinghy in the small town of Grand-Fort-Philippe
Police fired tear gas at the migrants, who can be heard shouting in the video footage shared by GB News
The number of small boats crossing the Channel may now have smashed the milestone of 40,000 this year
‘The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.’
Last week, on December 13, at least 600 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats, shattering Labour’s claims to be getting a grip on the crisis.
Smugglers exploited the improved weather conditions to launch at least nine inflatable boats from France packed with migrants – the first crossings in 28 days.
Video footage taken in the early hours of the morning showed migrants swimming towards a dinghy as it prepared to leave from a quayside near the port of Dunkirk.
The flotilla was believed to have included a number of so-called ‘mega dinghies’, which are almost 40ft long and can carry more than 100 people.
The huge numbers arriving could mean the number of small boats crossing the Channel has smashed the milestone of 40,000 this year.
Last Friday on December 12, Home Office figures showed there had not been any small boat arrivals since November 14 – the longest uninterrupted run since autumn 2018.
Labour’s Tristan Osborne, MP for Chatham and Aylesford in Kent, wrote on X: ‘A long way to go for sure… But finally we are seeing the heavy work paying off.
‘Under Labour the longest stretch without boat crossings since the surge started [under the Conservatives].’
But within 12 hours of Mr Osborne’s crowing message, reports started to emerge of hundreds of migrants scrambling onto boats from multiple sites along the French coast, apparently unheeded by the police.
The surge prompted an ‘indigo’ alert with four of the five Border Force patrol vessels put to sea: Hurricane, Ranger, Typhoon and Volunteer.
Up until last Saturday, 39,292 migrants have made the illegal crossing so far this year – well ahead of the 36,816 who crossed last year. The annual record stands at 45,755 – recorded at the end of 2022.
