Human rights organisations from both Britain and France have issued urgent appeals to multiple airlines, demanding they immediately cease their involvement in what campaigners describe as "cruel and forced deportations" under the UK government's contentious "one in, one out" immigration scheme. The coordinated action involves 28 refugee and human rights NGOs sending formal letters to four carriers believed to be operating deportation flights: Air France, Titan Airways, AlbaStar Airlines, and Corendon Airlines.
Campaigners Demand Immediate Boycott and Public Declarations
The correspondence explicitly calls for a complete boycott of Air France while demanding that the other three airlines issue public declarations confirming they will no longer participate in deporting individuals on behalf of the Home Office. Signatories have accused these carriers of "complicity in cruel and forced deportations including of victims of torture, trafficking and modern slavery," labelling their involvement as "shameful."
Thursday's Forced Removals Amid Hunger Strike Protests
This appeal follows Thursday morning's forced removal of dozens of asylum seekers to France, despite repeated warnings that their lives could be in serious danger from traffickers upon return. The deportees had been staging a hunger strike in protest against their impending removal, with detainees reporting extreme psychological distress to the Guardian. Some individuals described crying uncontrollably while others expressed suicidal thoughts, painting a grim picture of conditions within detention facilities.
One Syrian man detained under the scheme provided a harrowing account: "This is a prison, not a detention centre. We are locked up but we have done nothing wrong. The Home Office tell us we are criminals because we arrived here in a small boat but we are not. People are in such a bad state they are shouting and hitting themselves against the walls and doors." Another detainee reported being in severe agony from a medical condition requiring urgent surgery, yet Home Office sources maintained he had been assessed as medically fit to fly.
Legal Challenges and International Scrutiny
The latest deportation flight occurs amidst an expedited high court legal challenge brought by 16 asylum seekers against the one-in, one-out policy. Their case seeks to overturn new guidance that restricts asylum seekers' ability to have trafficking claims reconsidered. Some claimants are additionally challenging whether France is adequately fulfilling its obligations under international treaties designed to protect victims of trafficking.
United Nations experts have previously cautioned that the deportation scheme could potentially breach international human rights laws. Meanwhile, a peaceful protest last month preceding a deportation flight that ultimately proceeded resulted in the Home Office and its contractors deploying riot officers, dogs, and teargas to maintain control.
Scheme's Limited Impact and Operational Challenges
Since removals commenced last September, the one in, one out scheme has returned fewer than 2% of asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK via small boats. Official figures indicate 305 people have been deported to France with 367 individuals transferred to the UK under the arrangement. Two previous deportation flights have been cancelled this year alone, with one cancellation attributed by the Home Office to "operational complications on the French side."
So far this year, 1,528 people have successfully crossed the English Channel, with the relatively low numbers believed to be primarily due to unfavourable weather conditions rather than policy effectiveness.
Humanitarian Concerns and Industry Accountability
Griff Ferris, spokesperson for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, condemned the scheme in stark terms: "This deportation scheme is a sick and dehumanising way to treat people who came here to seek safety from war and persecution. These are people with hopes, dreams and loved ones, who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We call on these airlines to cease their complicity in these cruel, inhumane and racist deportations."
The Home Office and the implicated airlines have been approached for comment regarding the campaigners' demands and the ongoing controversy surrounding the deportation flights. The agreement underpinning the scheme permits one asylum seeker to travel legally to the United Kingdom in exchange for another individual who arrived via small boat being forcibly returned to French territory.
