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A mother trying to cross the English Channel to the UK was injured when French police ran over her leg in a motorised buggy, a charity has claimed.
Utopia 56, an organisation working on beaches used for small boat launches, has reported an increase in French police use of violence in recent months.
The NGO said it had met 2,720 people so far this year who have reported being victims of French police violence, compared with 1,954 over the same period last year.
It said the buggy incident happened in July while police were pursuing a group running on the beach.
A three-year-old child was found alone on a boat while his pregnant mother was held on shore by French Police in a separate incident, the group said.
Campaigners say increased border security results in more dangerous crossing attempts and migrant deaths.
British-funded police units patrolling France’s northern beaches have taken an increasingly proactive approach to blocking crossing attempts after the new UK-France deal was signed in April.
Officers prevented 185 “small boat crossing events” in the three months after the new deal – defined as stopping launches, seizing equipment including boats, engines and lifejackets, and arresting smugglers.
Angele Vettorello, Utopia 56’s advocacy co-ordinator, said: “The French and UK governments claim to be saving lives through police operations.
“All we see, however, are entire teams in riot gear, dangerous driving, sometimes lethal weapons used without regard for the vulnerability of those present, and tear gas canisters fired indiscriminately, including in dune areas during a heat wave.”
“Only a complete overhaul of the asylum system in Europe and the opening of safe passage routes for everyone will put an end to the business model of smuggling networks – which, incidentally, allows governments to shirk their responsibility for the situation at the border – while preventing people from risking their lives.”
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