Gendarmes eventually puncture and deflate the dinghy with a knife.
For years now, the United Kingdom has been paying France for help against the small-boat invasion of the British Isles.
But so far, the work by French authorities has left much to be desired.
Yesterday (20), a police operation targeted the launch of one of these ‘water taxis’, and left many hoping this marks a new, tougher enforcement era in the Channel.
But by no means will it be an easy task, as footage captures the moment the police officers are attacked by migrants as they intercept the launch of a migrant boat.
Footage released by the UK’s Border Security Command shows migrants clashing with police on a beach in northern France, with an officer slashing a small boat with a knife.
Sky’s @joncraig looks at the context behind the incident.
Read more: https://t.co/U9z4DwhLro pic.twitter.com/OrOv2mYpMu
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 20, 2026
The Telegraph reported:
“The video shows migrants wearing life jackets appearing to throw objects at the police to try to keep them away from their dinghy.
The officers then use Pava spray before slashing the inflatable boat with a knife.”
The truth about illegal immigration across the Channel.
This summer, I investigated what’s actually happening on the French coast and in the Channel.
I watched French police stand by as migrants boarded a dinghy, and was told, “Our order is to let them go.”
Later at sea, a… pic.twitter.com/GX8S0d2Y2u
— Chris Philp MP (@CPhilpOfficial) August 19, 2026
British border authorities claim this is evidence of a new ‘bold’ approach to trying to stop the boats, upping the pressure on the smuggling gangs to prevent the crossings.
“French police say they have boarded 12 migrant ‘taxi boats’ in their first interceptions at sea since the UK signed a new £662m [$902 million] deal to tackle small boat crossings.
The French have previously resisted intervening at sea because of the risk to life.”
Read more:
230 Migrants Cross the Channel Into the UK in a Single Giant Inflatable Boat
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
