LONDON: A Somali survivor of the deadliest “small boats” Channel crossing on record told a UK inquiry Tuesday that drowning migrants were “treated like animals” and died awaiting rescue.
Issa Mohamed Omar was one of only two survivors after an inflatable dinghy carrying people across from France capsized on November 24, 2021, killing at least 27 people.
The victims were mainly Iraqi Kurds and included at least seven women, a 16-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl. Four people remain missing.
Even though passengers made distress calls, they were “left in the water for more than 12 hours without rescue,” according to Rory Phillips, a lawyer advising the inquiry in London.
Victims screamed in the water and drowned in the dark awaiting help, Omar told the inquiry, saying it felt as though they were “treated like animals.”
“If rescue (had) come quickly, I believe half of those people would be still alive today,” the 31-year-old said, speaking via video link and an interpreter.
“Because we have been seen as refugees, that’s the reason why I believe the rescue did not come at all,” he said.
More than 36,800 people crossed the Channel between the UK and France in 2024, up 25 percent on the previous year.
The two countries have for years sought to stop people making the dangerous crossing, but migrants often pay smugglers thousands of euros for the passage aboard small boats.
Omar said their crowded boat began to capsize early in the morning, and that many of the distress calls to British emergency services went unheeded during the “harrowing” ordeal.
“All night I was holding to what was remaining of the boat,” he said. “We were all in shock, I never thought I would experience such a thing.”
He said he was eventually rescued by French fishermen and spent four months recovering in hospital in France from injuries he sustained as the boat capsized.
Omar said he left Somalia after his father was killed in the civil war and told the inquiry he had hoped to reach the UK to help his family.
As a survivor, Omar said he now had a responsibility to act as a “voice for those people who passed away.”
The UK inquiry focuses on the role of the British authorities and will seek to identify “lessons” that can be learned.
It takes place in parallel with legal proceedings in France, where seven military personnel have been charged with failing to assist a person in danger and several suspected smugglers are being prosecuted.
The UK inquiry will also take evidence from members of the British coast guard and rescue services. The hearings are due to run until March 27.
Survivor of deadly Channel sinking says migrants ‘treated like animals’
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Survivor of deadly Channel sinking says migrants ‘treated like animals’
- The victims were mainly Iraqi Kurds and included at least seven women, a 16-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl
- Victims screamed in the water and drowned in the dark awaiting help, Omar told the inquiry, saying it felt as though they were “treated like animals”
Fourth Palestine Action activist ends hunger strike in UK prison
- Amy Gardiner-Gibson began eating again after 49 days of protest
- Govt rejects claims it ignored prison safety protocols
LONDON: A fourth Palestine Action activist imprisoned in the UK has ended her hunger strike.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, who also uses the name Amu Gib, began eating again after 49 days of fasting, the campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said.
Qesser Zuhrah, another activist, ended her hunger strike last week after 48 days but said she might resume it next year, Sky News reported.
Four Palestine Action activists have now ended their hunger strikes while in prison, while four others are continuing to fast.
All of them are in prison on remand, awaiting trial for a series of high-profile alleged break-ins and criminal damage.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization and banned earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London at a rally in support of the hunger strikers.
The protesters are demanding that weapons factories in Britain with ties to Israel be shut down, as well as the removal of Palestine Action’s proscription.
They are also calling for immediate bail to be given to imprisoned pro-Palestine activists and an end to the alleged mistreatment of prisoners in custody.
Seven imprisoned members of Palestine Action have been transferred to hospital over the course of the hunger strike campaign. Doctors have highlighted concerns about the long-term impact of fasting on the activists.
Lawyers representing the group on Monday initiated legal action against the government over its alleged failure to follow prison safety regulations.
The government, however, has rejected this accusation, Sky News reported.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Ministers do not intervene in individual cases. Where individuals are on remand, doing so would risk prejudicing ongoing legal proceedings and undermine the independence of the justice system.
“Concerns about welfare and process can be raised through established legal and administrative channels, including prison governors and ultimately the prison and probation ombudsman.
“Healthcare decisions are taken independently by qualified NHS professionals and appropriate care and oversight frameworks remain in place.”
The activists still on hunger strike include Heba Muraisi and Teuta Hoxha. Hoxha has been on remand for 13 months and her family told Sky News they feared she would die in prison.
Another of the activists, Kamran Ahmad, is believed to have been on hunger strike for 45 days and hospitalized three times.
Lewie Chiaramello, who has Type 1 diabetes, is on day 31 of his strike and taking part by fasting every other day.
