Two asylum seekers caught attacking police on video have been jailed after appearing at Canterbury Crown court.
They were seen taking part in a mob attack on French police in Calais, who were trying to stop them fleeing across the Channel in a small boat to the UK. Footage released by the Home Office, shows the UK-funded gendarmes being attacked with rocks, driftwood and other makeshift weapons on the beach on 16th June 2023.
The officers, some of who suffered injuries, were unable to prevent the vessel from launching. It was later intercepted in UK waters and two of those onboard and involved in the violent attack – Salih Taib Abdullah, 33, and 25-year-old Ahmed Omar Saleh Khater – have now been jailed for 14 months and 12 months respectively.
They both admitted an offence of attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance. Isn’t this the same offence that all asylum seekers arriving via the Channel could be charged with?
Consultation between the French and UK authorities however led to Iraqi national Abdullah and Khater, from Sudan, being identified and then arrested by officers from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) unit as they reached Dover.
Tension on French beaches is increasing due to the successful efforts of law enforcement
After the sentencing hearings, Charlie Eastaugh, director of international operations for the small boats operational command at the Home Office, said “We will not tolerate violence against our French partners, particularly by those attempting dangerous and illegal small boat launches which threaten the border security of the UK”.
UK citizens are now questioning that if so much effort can be used to locate two individuals crossing the Channel in a dinghy with 49 other people, why are so many left to arrive on UK shores unattended?
