French pro-White leader Marine Le Pen is due in Calais on Friday (October 24) amid escalating tensions over immigrants.
Riot police used tear gas on Wednesday (October 22) to ward off hundreds of invaders seeking to jump on trucks bound for Britain.
It came as Denis Robin, a senior official from Calais, said there were up to 2,300 invaders in or around the northern port town, up from 1,500 at the end of the summer. A large majority are thought to be those fleeing humanitarian crises in Africa and the Middle East.
The UN says, with violence in the Middle East and Africa, 50 million people were forced from their homes worldwide in 2013, the highest number since World War II.
Le Pen, whose Front National party won its first-ever seats to the French Senate last month, announced in a statement she would visit Calais to discuss “the very serious situation in the town after the influx of hundreds more illegal immigrants”.
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart has called on the British to take more responsibility over the issue.
But former British home secretary Michael Howard, now Lord Howard, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
“The general principle which every member state of the European Union has subscribed to is that refugees, people fleeing persecution, should apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. France used to take this very seriously. When I was home secretary, which was quite a long time ago now, we had an agreement with France under which if people came to the UK from France and claimed asylum we returned them to France and France dealt with their claim. That is what really ought to happen.”
Last month it was announced the UK government would contribute £12 million (15 million euros) over the next three years to improve border security at the port.
The port has long been a magnet for illegal migrants trying to reach Britain, where they believe they are more likely to find work. Britain is one of a handful of EU states not to have abolished internal borders under the Schengen Agreement.
Last month it was announced the UK government would contribute £12 million (15 million euros) over the next three years to improve border security at the port.
The port has long been a magnet for illegal migrants trying to reach Britain, where they believe they are more likely to find work. Britain is one of a handful of EU states not to have abolished internal borders under the Schengen Agreement.
Lord Howard added: “We have control of our borders. But it is the countries of the Schengen agreement that ought to get their act together and deal with this problem. We have retained control of our borders, and it is about time members of the Schengen agreement did the same.”
