Nigel on the warpath
Over the past few weeks Nigel Farage has been back and forth to Dover investigating cross channel illegal migration. He has even chartered a ship to observe and report on illegal attempts to make the journey by boat. As ever Farage is controversial, and has described these crossings as an invasion.
In this article we are going to examine the arguments and put it to you, the readers, to tell us whether you agree or disagree with the Brexit Party leaders actions.
Farage charters a ship to report on illegal crossings, 20th May 2020
The issue
The outbreak of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars precipitated what some refer to as a 'migrant crisis', which peaked in 2015/16. The disruption in the Middle East, as well as large parts of Africa helped to contribute to the mass movement of people towards Europe. While some leaders and politicians have been welcoming of this mass movement like Angela Merkel, others have been critical, such as Nigel Farage.
Recently Farage has been reporting on illegal crossings from Dover, for which he received a police caution. Farage has argued that the individuals crossing are not refugees but are actually 'economic migrants' as they have passed through several safe countries to arrive in the UK. However this definition of what exactly constitutes a refugee is the source of ongoing dispute.
Farage is seeking to highlight the issue at this time, he says, because these illegal crossings constitute a specific risk, with reference to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Pandemic restrictions have also prevented the deportation of some 700 migrants within the past couple of months.
Much of the reaction from Conservative and Pro Brexit commentators has been supportive:
However reaction from pro-EU and left leaning outlets has been scathing:
Do you agree or disagree with Farage's assessment of the cross channel migration? Do you support his actions in taking a boat out to Dover? Let us know and vote in our poll:
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