British Foreign secretary Philip Hammond this week not only repeated May’s claims about African economic migrants, but portrayed them as marauders who would soon hasten the collapse of European civilisation.
Advertisement
Mr Hammond said the continent could not absorb “millions” of Africans and that EU laws needed to be overhauled to ensure those coming simply to find a better way of life could be returned to their own country.
He explained that oftentimes, migrants understood for there to become small possibility of them they just needed to set foot actually having to depart.
The prime minister warned illegal immigrants would be removed from the UK, as migrants told the BBC they remained determined to reach Britain.
After Greek minister Alexis Tsipras informed his nation had been overcome from the increase of arrivals their remarks emerged.
The story is also making headlines in Greece, Italy and Germany, as they all deal with an influx of immigrants making the journey from countries – cash-strapped, or war-torn – like Syria, Chad, Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea.
It’s estimated around 5,000 migrants have been camped in Calais this summer, with hundreds risking their safety by trying to gain access to the UK by stowing away on lorries and trains.
“Now that is not a sustainable situation because Europe can’t protect itself, preserve its standard of living and social infrastructure if it has to absorb millions of migrants from Africa”, Hammond said.
Speaking after chairing a Cobra meeting, Mrs May said the Government was pressing for rapid installation of the new security fencing at Coquelles.
Mr Hammond’s comments represent a change in tone for the Foreign Secretary.
Around 188,000 migrants have made the crossing from North Africa to Europe so far this year, according to the global Organisation for Migration (IOM), which puts the death toll in the Mediterranean at over 2,000 since January 2015.
Two weeks ago, migrant Ahmed Tawil was fighting to get over fences into the Channel Tunnel.
On Sunday police discovered 17 suspected illegal immigrants hiding in the back of a lorry on the M1.
His comments follow criticism of the UK by a UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights, who said that Britain’s approach to the “courageous” migrants at Calais is tantamount to “racism”.
Advertisement
And when it comes to the reason why so many migrants want to get to Britain, the British public believe it is because the UK has more welfare benefits, whereas the French think migrants head across the channel because it is easier to work without official documentation in Britain.
