France has canceled the visit of the British Home Secretary to the meeting to be held with Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the European Commission to discuss the illegal crossings of migrants through the English Channel. The change comes after Boris Johnson asked the French to return immigrants arriving in Britain in a letter that was made public on his Twitter account.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Priti Patel, his British counterpart, that he was not “ most welcome “ at the European meeting to be held on Sunday on issues related to migrants, reported a French government spokesman. This crisis meeting comes after the death of 27 people during the Canal crossing on Wednesday, and the letter published by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his Twitter account.

Boris Johnson asks the French to accept an agreement to return migrants who manage to cross the Channel into France

In his letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, which can be found on his Twitter account, the prime minister laid out five measures that the two countries should agree on. ” as soon as possible. “

Among the points he addresses, Boris Johnson wants to create joint patrols to prevent migrant boats from leaving French beaches and to use advanced technologies, such as sensors and radars, to identify crossing attempts. The Prime Minister also raised the possibility, for the maritime authorities of the two States, to carry out reciprocal patrols in the territorial waters of each nation and to use aerial surveillance to deepen the work of the joint intelligence unit and ensure better information. share to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions. Finally, Paris should commit to “Work immediately” the conclusion of a bilateral agreement on the crossings between Paris and London, as well as discussions on an agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU.

In his press release, Boris Johnson says that “If people arriving illegally in the UK were quickly repatriated, the incentives to put their lives in the hands of traffickers would be greatly reduced. ” He remains convinced that “This would be the most important measure [que les deux pays] We can take together to reduce the attractiveness of northern France and break the economic model of criminal gangs. ” The prime minister said to himself “Convinced” that “Addressing illegal migration” is the best way to “To prevent other families from suffering the devastating loss that we witnessed yesterday. “

Words that were very badly received by the French authorities

Gabriel Attal, a spokesman for the French government, said that this letter had prompted Paris to withdraw its invitation to the UK to discuss the crisis. Emmanuel Macron, asked about his reaction to his British counterpart’s press release, said he was “Surprised that things are not being done seriously”, adding that France was not a “alert launcher.”

Darmanin explained to the French media that this letter was a “disappointment” and that the fact that it was made public still made things ” saucer. “In a statement, the Ministry estimated that the latter was “Unacceptable and contrary to the discussions that must be held between counterparts.” “ The meeting will continue to take place, but will therefore take place in the absence of the British representatives, who have become persona non grata in the eyes of the French government.