Desperate Iranian migrants in Calais are increasingly turning to small boats to cross the English Channel, with more than 220 people attempting the journey in the past six weeks. The surge has prompted UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid to declare a 'major incident' and pledge joint action with French authorities.
Wahid, a 22-year-old civil engineering graduate, has tried twice. Both times, his inflatable boat was intercepted by French coastguard vessels. 'It was cold, very cold. The sea was calm, flat, but it was frightening. A dark night and, of course, no lights. Dangerous. We all knew it was dangerous. We could die,' he said.
Jaber, 44, who has not seen his family in Manchester for two years, said: 'The other ways are all blocked now. There are people who have been here two years and tried more than 100 times to get on a lorry. This is the only way now.'
French authorities estimate that up to 250 people attempted the crossing in the first 10 months of 2018, but since mid-November the numbers have surged. On Christmas Day alone, 40 people tried to cross in five boats. Maya Konforti of l'Auberge des Migrants said nearly 40% of the 500 migrants sleeping rough in Calais in December were Iranian.
Konforti suggested Iranian migrants may be more willing to risk the dangerous voyage because they have not been 'traumatised' by crossing the Mediterranean. But she added: 'People are getting desperate. It's like water, it'll find a way.'
Conditions for migrants on the coast are 'truly catastrophic', worse than the once-infamous Jungle camp, she said. 'There are no facilities, no shops, no nothing. The police dismantle whatever people manage to put up, every other day.'
