A French warship has been accused of opening fire near a vessel in the English Channel carrying Conservative MP Chris Philp. Philp was monitoring illegal migrant crossings when the incident occurred.
Incident described as 'surreal'
Philp, who was filming with local broadcaster BBC, posted online: "On the channel today monitoring illegal migrant crossings ... as I was being interviewed by the BBC just now a French warship approached close and fired 17 live rounds behind us." He added: "There was no notice or training exercise in place. Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation."
Michael Keohan, a BBC journalist accompanying Philp, described the incident as "surreal". He wrote online: "the French patrol vessel came within 300m of our boat and shot down towards their stern." He noted that "Photos of the French boat appear to show a small handgun aimed towards the sea. Around 17 shots fired."
Warship details
Marine tracking data identifies the vessel as a Flamant-class patrol boat, 54 metres long, carrying up to 21 servicemen and equipped with two 12.7mm machine guns. It is primarily deployed for patrolling the French side of the Channel.
No warning given
Philp later told the Daily Telegraph: "We left Dover early this morning and we were about two miles off the French coast near Cap Grinez. There was a French warship patrolling in the vicinity. I was on the back of the boat doing an interview with the BBC as the French warship approached. As it came to its closest point of approach - about 300m away - they let off 17 live rounds from the back of the boat."
Philp described the incident as feeling "like warning shots or an attempt to intimidate", adding: "The boat's skipper has never seen anything like this before. There was no notice in place about live firing exercises. There was no warning over the radio or anything else."
