Surely someone could have intervened to help this baby?

[Cardemomle]

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16040317/French-police-stand-watch-baby-toddlers-board-dinghy-England.html

Presumably it is not illegal on the French coast to board a boat with members of your family.

I judge people by their actions not their words. Our government could stop this today if they wanted to. They clearly don’t want to.

Most of these people have been in Europe for some considerable time, months and years. They have had their applications turned down, often by multiple countries. That baby was undoubtebly born somewhere in Europe. The UK is the last place they can try, as it is the furthest West. We are too disorganised and too soft to say "no" and return. Its a shame we no longer seem to share data on the immigration status of these people. I would love a system whereby if they are denied asylum in one European country, they are denied asylum full stop. We all abide by the same convention after all.

And Andy Burnham is planning to build some nice new social housing for them so they have somewhere to house their families.

@StarbabyShine "That baby was safe in France. There is no war in France. There is absolutely zero justification in risking that babies life to get to UK shores."

I totally agree. Asylum seekers are supposed to be fleeing unimaginable hardship, extreme persecution or torture. None of this applies to France.

Far more people stay in France than come over here. The benefit levels aren’t very different either. What we have here is more attraction for those who speak English plus no national ID system requiring us to produce it if challenged, so getting informal work is supposed to be easier. I do think we should have this, there’s a reason that multiple governments have attempted to introduce it for decades. Having said that, what the snakeheads say to the people they shove into boats like this having taken them for every penny they don’t have is anybody’s guess. I doubt that many people who value their lives and families would talk much about snakehead culture.

That photograph is very upsetting and yes I think the French police should not allow people to put babies and children on those boats.

Depends on whether you like cheese or not.

Bingo.

When will this stop though?

Even the most liberal bleeding heart must have a number for how many is enough??

I don't understand why the government wants this?? All these migrant men who think women are objects to be bought and sold as brides and that Witches are real and should be killed.

And if anyone mentions workers 'proping up the fucking NHS'...

The skilled people working in the NHS are not the same people coming over in boats.

And even so, we should be focusing on encouraging our own children to 'prop up' the NHS not outsourcing thousands of jobs to foreign nationals!

Presumably not but how do you define “boat”? What about if it’s blatantly obvious that the parents are risking their children’s lives? That poor poor baby, even being handled like that is really cruel.

Am not sure why but I do wonder if the photo is actually real. It is these days a question we have to ask.
I hope not.

We are too disorganised and too soft to say "no" and return.

On the contrary, there appears to be a highly planned and financed structure set up to move the “asylum seekers” (I put this in “” because I don’t believe they are in need of asylum and they are almost all fighting age young men) around into the furthest reaches of the country in large numbers. Nothing about it suggests a lack of organisation to me.

And where are they getting these fucking huge boats??

This has to be orchestrated by our/their government.

Where would they get a boat like that?? Someone sails it back to France!

Who is manning the boat? A trafficker? Why arent they arrested?

@StarbabyShinethis is the bit where I get stuck too. The media aren’t shy about reporting the deaths, capsizes and general inherent danger in this route. There is nothing that life threatening in France surely that means putting a tiny baby at such high risk is worth it??!!!! Even if you have family and friends in the UK, all that means is a slightly nicer life - still not worth dying for surely?!???

No, France is a very safe country. Unless you’re fleeing a burning building and this boat is the only way out there’s no justification whatsoever for putting this baby on this boat without a life jacket.

It’s neglect and potentially manslaughter

Chris Phipps on camera last week or the week before was on camera asking why they, the Police man is not stopping them leaving. The Policeman said he has orders from above to not stop be to tell them not to go it is too dangerous.

Is the photo real?

I assumed AI.

Poor child, if it is.

I'm not sure it is just slightly nicer.

I was helping my Somalian neighbour a few years ago with some admin stuff to her GP and the City Council as she spoke limited English and couldn't really read/write.
She has 5 children, 3 registered disabled. I saw her universal credit statement (I was scanning and uploading documents for her with help from her son translating) and it made my eyes water. Full housing benefit too.

It really, really changed my opinion and outlook on the whole thing. Not in a good way.

Lovely woman. Lovely kids. But no contributions in from her at all and a heck of a lot coming out of the pot for her.

Was only having this discussion at the weekend about this kind of thing.

RIP to the camera never lies.

What would be the benefit of faking this photo?

Is it supposed to garner sympathy? Challenge the 'no kids on the boats' thing?

All it's done is make me incredibly angry, if so, mission failed.

Cynical I know, but maybe the French just want them to leave French soil.

That poor baby (and the mother too).

English is spoken almost everywhere.
For some people from former French speaking colonies, speaking French is of course easier !

I think a bit of scepticism is healthy these days with so much fakery going on but I see no reason to disbelieve that babies are being put on these boats from time to time.

Of course only a few days ago three women simultaneously died of heart attacks on a boat. And if you believe that, you will believe anything.

But question whether we really should continue to bring in these men in their thousands and you’re a racist bigot.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/three-migrants-found-dead-on-board-boat-in-the-english-channel-5HjdfLc_2/

This is pretty much why they stand back and watch, it's no longer the French governments problem to have to find homes/feed them once they are waved off.

An earlier poster said the authorities could stop this if they wanted to, but obviously don’t. If the French can’t/wont stop the boats loading and setting off, I understand the law of the sea is that people must be rescued if in peril. What should we do then? (Honest enquiry…)