A refugee who fled Afghanistan has accused the federal government of getting insurance policies of “hostility and deterrence” after six died when a ship carrying migrants sank off the coast of France.
Gulwali Passarlay, 28 – now an acclaimed creator residing in Kettering, stated the Home Office has “blood on its hands”.
At least six individuals died and dozens extra – a lot of them Afghans – had been rescued after a ship received into issue off the coast of Sangatte on Saturday.
Around 65 initially boarded the overcrowded vessel earlier than it sank, based on survivors.
Mr Passarlay advised the PA information company: “It’s shocking and I’m not surprised, this is going to happen if we continue with the policies of hostility and deterrence and the lack of safe routes and humanitarian corridors.
“I feel disheartened; this was preventable, this was avoidable.
“It happened because of the UK’s policies and laws as well as of course Europe and France is to blame also because of the way people have been treated and evacuated.
“If the British government had a better system in place, a humane welcome or a way people could come through safe passage on trains, planes, cars and buses this wouldn’t have happened.
“If they had a similar process to the one they have for the Ukrainians or people from Hong Kong, if they had asylum visas or humanitarian visas this wouldn’t have happened.”
Aged 13, Mr Passarlay needed to cross the Mediterranean in a 20-person boat with 120 individuals crammed into it and a 50-hour journey with out meals or drink earlier than lastly getting right into a lorry in Calais.
He stated 150,000 individuals in Afghanistan are being “deliberately kept in limbo” following the Taliban takeover of the nation in 2021.
Asked what he would say to Britons who object to migrants crossing English Channel, Mr Passarlay added: “I’ve travelled across Britain, I’ve done talks in towns and cities and people are compassionate, the vast majority of people want to support refugees.
“But the ones you hear from are the ones on social media, they are sitting behind a screen and want to blame someone, and obviously the refugees are easy people to blame.”
A UK Government spokesperson stated: “These deaths are devastating and our thoughts are with the victims’ families and friends at this time.
“This incident is sadly another reminder of the extreme dangers of crossing the Channel in small boats and how vital it is that we break the people smugglers’ business model and stop the boats.”
It comes as an Afghan pilot threatened with deportation to Rwanda stays in limbo 5 months after he first pleaded with Rishi Sunak to be granted secure haven within the UK.
The airman, who flew greater than 30 fight missions alongside coalition forces earlier than the autumn of Kabul two years in the past, took the harmful journey throughout the Channel final November.
The Independent has been campaigning for months to safe secure haven for the airman after he was threatened with deportation, with dozens of army chiefs and politicians backing our calls.