The day after the sinking of a migrant boat in the Channel, France was singled out by part of the British press. The English tabloids were particularly virulent. This Reuters photo (see above) ended up on
The Sun's front page
with the headline “Shameful”, (“shameful”). It was also published in the
Daily Mail
, which accuses French police of having watched and "
let it be
" smugglers who embarked migrants for Britain in an inflatable boat. Promising titles which somewhat divert the real context of this image.
Le Figaro looks
back on its history.
This photo is signed Gonzalo Fuentes, photographer at the Reuters agency.
It was taken Wednesday, November 24, 2021, on a beach near Wimereux in Pas-de-Calais, a few hours after the sinking of the boat in the Channel, where 27 migrants perished.
It is therefore not the boat that sank.
This photo is part of a series of images (photos and videos) produced by Reuters teams.
The journalists on the spot saw a group of more than 40 people, including six children, who, at dawn, cast off from this beach in Pas-de-Calais.
A group of more than 40 migrants run on the beach with an inflatable boat, to leave the coasts of northern France and cross the English Channel, near Wimereux, France, on November 24, 2021. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
“
Wrapped up in black woolen caps and puffy coats, some in red life jackets, they hoisted the inflatable boat over their shoulders and heads under a steel November sky. About fifteen men wore the gray annex, walking towards the sea,
”describes the British agency. “
Families followed with their children, and behind them were men dragging an outboard motor. A man was walking, holding a young boy by the hand. Two others carried smaller children on their shoulders, while women carried personal effects
, ”continues Reuters.
Police stand near a group of more than 40 migrants who cross the dunes with a rubber dinghy to leave the coasts of northern France and cross the English Channel, near Wimereux, France on November 24, 2021. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
At that moment, "
a French police truck headed for the group, lit its lights and surrounded the migrants in an apparent attempt to block their way to the sea,
" Reuters continued. “
A woman carrying a small child stepped in front of the vehicle and moaned. The police vehicle stopped. Shortly after, he left to patrol another part of the beach,
”describe the agency managers. As can be seen in the photo below, the police left, "
the migrants rushed over the sand to the shore
".
A group of more than 40 migrants run on the beach with an inflatable boat, to leave the coasts of northern France and cross the English Channel, near Wimereux, France, on November 24, 2021. GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
Then the men "
loaded the children onto the boat and pushed it out to sea
."
According to Reuters, a woman who "waded in the icy water confirmed to the agency's reporters that they were going to England.
"
'Go UK' she shouted, before throwing a garbage bag containing personal effects on her head to keep it dry,
" the news agency said.
A group of migrants with children board an inflatable boat to leave the coasts of northern France.
GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
A few hours later, on the other side of the Channel, on the British coast, another Reuters team found these migrants who were taken care of by rescuers.
In another set of photos, they are seen disembarking at a beach in Dungeness, after being picked up by a rescue boat.
The migrants are brought ashore at Dungeness by an RNLI lifeboat.
HENRY NICHOLLS / REUTERS