LA British justice on Monday rejected last-minute appeals against the government’s controversial plan to send migrants who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to Rwanda, paving the way for the first few departures on Tuesday. Despite criticism from human rights defenders, the UN, the Anglican Church and even the British royal family, Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is determined with this project to discourage illegal Channel crossings, which do not stop rising despite its repeated promises since Brexit. “This appeal is dismissed,” said Judge Rabinder Singh, confirming the decision made at first instance following an urgent appeal filed by associations for the defense of refugees, including the associations Care4Calais and Detention Action which had appealed. .
Even if they failed to prohibit the measure, the individual challenges launched in parallel had the effect of significantly reducing the scale: the first flight risks taking off almost empty. “Twenty-three people had their tickets to Rwanda cancelled. Eight must still leave tomorrow, ”tweeted Care4Calais, which had called on justice to “stop this cruel and barbaric project”. By sending asylum seekers more than 6,000 kilometers from London, which recalls the policy pursued by Australia, the government intends to deter illegal arrivals in the country, which are ever more numerous.
10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since the start of the year
Since the start of the year, more than 10,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel illegally to reach British shores in small boats, a considerable increase on previous years, which were already record highs. “Criminal groups that put people’s lives in danger in the Channel must understand that their economic model will collapse under this government,” Boris Johnson insisted on Monday on LBC radio. Among those challenging the plan in court is the civil service union PCS, which has among its members customs officers who are supposed to implement the deportations. The organization highlights the detailed examination of the legality of the measure scheduled for July before the High Court in London.
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The Rwandan Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Johnston Busingye, said in the columns of the Daily Telegraph be “disappointed” that critics of the project doubt Kigali’s ability to provide “safe haven” for asylum seekers. Under this agreement, London will initially finance the device to the tune of 120 million pounds (144 million euros). The Rwandan government said it would offer migrants the possibility “to settle permanently in Rwanda if they so wish”.
A “dismaying” project for Prince Charles
Wind standing since the announcement of the measure, the UN reiterated its criticism on Monday. “It’s not working at all, this agreement is not working at all for so many different reasons”, denounced the High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during a press conference in Geneva. London “seeks to shift its asylum responsibilities entirely onto another country, running counter to the object and purpose of the 1951 Geneva Convention, running counter to its commitments and threatening the regime protection of refugees”, denounced for its part the organization for the defense of human rights HRW in an open letter on Saturday.
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Fueling the controversy, Prince Charles, heir to the throne, privately judged the government’s plan “appalling”, the daily reported on Saturday. The Times, while he must participate in a Commonwealth meeting from June 20 in Rwanda. In Kigali, Prince Charles and Boris Johnson are due to meet President Paul Kagame, who has ruled Rwanda since the end of the 1994 genocide, which claimed 800,000 lives according to the UN. His government is regularly accused by NGOs of suppressing freedom of expression, criticism and political opposition.