Migrants crowd onto dinghy in France as tensions flare during Channel crossing
Migrants, including young children, boarded an overcrowded inflatable dinghy off France's Hardelot-Plage on Friday in another attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain.
Footage showed adults and children wearing life jackets as they waited in shallow waters before climbing aboard the tightly packed vessel.
Tensions erupted when some migrants confronted journalists filming the departure, with at least one person splashing water and throwing objects towards the camera.
The crossing appeared to involve a so-called "taxi boat", a tactic used by people-smuggling networks in which vessels collect migrants from several locations along the French coastline.
The method has made it increasingly difficult for French authorities to intercept departures, as boats can pick up multiple groups before heading towards Britain.
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The UK's Border Security Command has warned that the practice poses serious risks to migrants, particularly when vessels become overcrowded.
French and British authorities have intensified maritime patrols and intelligence-sharing efforts to disrupt smuggling operations.
Despite these measures, Channel crossings continue. Provisional UK Home Office figures show that 1,670 migrants arrived in Britain aboard 23 small boats between October 29 and November 1, including 671 on October 30 alone.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
