In another blow to the Entente Cordiale, the French have blamed their current immigrations problems on......the British.
French politician Etienne Pinte says that Britain is to blame for the build-up of immigrants in France because the British keep rejecting many of them.
This is despite the fact that Britain, unlike France, was one of the few EU countries (Ireland and Sweden were the others) to allow in UNLIMITED numbers of Eastern Europeans into the country.
The French government used to have an ingenious way to make sure they don't take in many immigrants from any part of the world - by housing them all in the Sangatte refugee centre on France's north coast and sending them all over to Britain where British taxpayers would have to pay for their housing etc.
But Sangatte has been closed since 2002, making it more difficult for the French to ship all their unwanted immigrants over to Britain.
So, of course, the British must be wrong in wanting to cut down the burden of immigration into their country which thus causes more immigrants to stay in France, who must have allowed them into the country in the first place, unless many are illegal immigrants which therefore shouldn't be allowed into Britain anyway.
No wonder Pinte is miffed....
'Inhumane Britain solely to blame for thousands of immigrants in France,' blasts senior French politician
By Peter Allen
09th January 2009
Daily Mail
French politician Etienne Pinte: He said Britain should welcome thousands of immigrants currently living in France (in other words, the French don't want them)
A senior French politician today launched a blistering attack on Britain’s ‘inhumane and illegal’ immigration policies, blaming them for causing ‘utter misery’ across the Channel.
Etienne Pinte, a former minister and veteran member of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing UMP party, says the UK is ‘solely to blame’ for the build-up of thousands of migrants in northern France.
He says almost all of those trying to illegally board ferries to Dover are from former British colonies.
‘So why are the British now rejecting them while at the same time they’re welcoming thousands of citizens from eastern Europe and in particular from Poland?’ says Mr Pinte, MP for Versailles, near Paris.
‘They don’t want to stay in France. They have a common history with the British.
Most of them speak English. They often have family members who emigrated to Great Britain at a time when being part of the Commonwealth entitled them to do so.
‘Why are the British forcing us to keep them in utter misery in our territory?
‘Why are the British, in spite of international laws and, in particular, the directives of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, organising charter flights aimed at deporting immigrants towards war-torn countries like Afghanistan.
‘It’s up to Great Britain to find a dignified and humane solution to a problem which solely concerns it.
‘It should, in partnership with the French authorities, bring about concrete and quick solutions to an intolerable situation.’
Mr Pinte, who makes his comments in an open letter to immigration minister Brice Hortefeux, says Britain should, initially at least, accept all the northern France migrants.
It would then have to consider all asylum claims on British soil, before accepting the migrants, or repatriating them at the British taxpayers’ expense to ’safe’ countries.
Mr Pinte decided to speak out following Wednesday night’s murder of an Afghan migrant in a notorious camp close to the ferry port in Calais nicknamed ‘The Jungle’.
The 30-year-old was stabbed to death during a gang fight between some 30 young men battling to board lorries heading for Britain.
The victim had been hoping to start a new life in the UK which, Mr Pinte claims, is viewed by migrants as an ‘Eldorado’.
Claiming that the victim would still be alive if Britain had a fair asylum system, Mr Pinte says: ‘We’ve had enough with the illegal migration policies of the British.
‘We’ve had enough of burying anonymous migrants who have dreamt of Britain as their promised land, just like the Jews dreamt of Jerusalem.’
The Red Cross refugee centre at Sangatte, near Calais, attracted thousands of migrants before it was shut down following an Anglo-French agreement in 2002.
Mr Sarkozy’s government has insisted that no similar welcome centre will ever re-open, making the point to numerous UK officials, including the British ambassador in Paris, Sir Peter Westmacott.
The area of Calais dubbed the 'Jungle': Former French minister Etienne Pinte has blamed Britain for a build-up of immigrants in France
But, referring to the current illegal camps in Calais, Mr Pinte says: ‘And since our Immigration Minister seems to have amicable relations with the British ambassador in Paris, I suggest that he takes him to the Afghan Jungle.
‘They would then be confronted by the inhumane living conditions in our country.
‘Inhumane is actually an understatement given that the migrants have to survive in their tents, in the mud, with minimum hygiene, without being able to deal with the cold and the rain.’
Mr Pinte continues: ‘If Sangatte doesn’t exist anymore, the problem remains exactly the same.
'The people smugglers are still operating and hundreds of migrants are still wandering around our coastlines hoping to reach Great Britain, the Eldorado for thousands of men, women, teenagers and children in transit in our country.
‘They nearly all come from former nations of the British empire - Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sri Lanka.’
Mr Pinte, first elected to the National Assembly in 1973 is, like Mr Sarkozy, a fierce right-winger .
He is known by fellow backbenchers to have the president’s ear, having supported him in numerous elections.
But French government sources insisted that Mr Pinte’s comments did not reflect current government thinking, saying that immigration minister Mr Hortefeux had an ‘excellent’ relationship with his British counterparts.
UMP sources in Paris, in turn, suggested that Mr Pinte’s words were those of a ‘silent majority’ of politicians who feel France has become a victim of failed British immigration policies.
READERS' COMMENTS
These people are entitled to claim asylum in any EEC country, yet the rest of EEC merely tries to move them on down the line to the UK.
- ernest oglesby, larnaca, cyprus
************************************************
"who feel France has become a victim of failed British immigration policies"
The British people are the real 'victims', of Brown's failed immigration policies. Perhaps France would like to tell us why they choose to ignore EU policy and send/encourage, Eastern Europeans over here, when they should be either keeping them or sending them back to where they came from?
- Kimberley West, New England / London
**************************************************
Naturally it's the fault of the British. Everything from global warming to spots on your bum is OUR fault. I think everybody in the world should come here and have benefits, loads of children, never work and then we can all sink into the sea together. Problem solved.
- Kathy Gilbert, Yorkshire
**************************************
As far as i am concerned they are on French soil so its their problem, why have they crossed so many countries that should have taken them.
Just round them up & ship them back to where they came from.
I won't comment on the French as you would not print it anyway.
- Mikeman, Portland Dorset
***********************************************
This is almost funny...how is an island like ours supposed to take on more and more immigrants?
If we took everyone who wanted to come here from the former British Colonies, we'd have no space left to stand on! It's funny how the British Empire gets called into play where this issue is concerned and spit upon the rest of the time. France, deal with it. The British Empire is long gone and we no longer have responsibility for these people.
This is exactly the kind of nonsense that you expect from certain other countries. Our immigration policies are inhumane? Chance would be a fine thing!
- sue, United Kingdom
********************************************
"they're welcoming thousands of citizens from eastern Europe and in particular from Poland?' says Mr Pinte, MP for Versailles, near Paris. "
I can assure you that 90% of Britain is not welcoming them.
As for the comments about us to blame for all the immigrants in France, are you JOKING?
You have immigration controls, deal with them, rather than sending them over here. Deport them to whence they came.
"Most of them have something in common with Britain and speak English"?? Where, I haven't seen these ones?? Didn't know we had historical ties to Turkey, Albania, Bosnia et al.
Any way, most of the "Empire" made their beds at the time, when most of them voted for independence, they made their beds, now they can sleep in them.
Why do we owe them any thing?
Time to get tough Britain, stop being whimps and stand up for ourselves.
- Nomad, London, England,
*************************************
It has nothing to do with us. The French let them through their borders, and can't wait to shuffle them to this Country, they are responsible them. These are illegal immigrants looking for an easy life in Great Britain at tax Payers expense caused by this Goverments useless Immigration policies.
- John East, Poole, England
****************************************
Yep thats all the French run EU wants... to place all the rubbish from the rest of Europe into Britain!!! Thats all the EU has ever wanted!
- James, Derby UK,
********************************
Perhaps the French should start by dealing with these people in a humain way, provide them with houseing, cash benifits, the opportunity to work, health cover. Then England could review every case in a legal and fair way and refuse entry as appropriate. Those refused could then stay in France as clearly they are welcomed there. (Strange place France and some of the french)
- Roger, Norfolk,
*********************************
Why did France allow these people into their country in the first place if they do not have the documentation to enter the UK?
Maybe they should look at this first, not critizise us!
- stella, shrewsbury.uk
dailymail.co.uk
French politician Etienne Pinte says that Britain is to blame for the build-up of immigrants in France because the British keep rejecting many of them.
This is despite the fact that Britain, unlike France, was one of the few EU countries (Ireland and Sweden were the others) to allow in UNLIMITED numbers of Eastern Europeans into the country.
The French government used to have an ingenious way to make sure they don't take in many immigrants from any part of the world - by housing them all in the Sangatte refugee centre on France's north coast and sending them all over to Britain where British taxpayers would have to pay for their housing etc.
But Sangatte has been closed since 2002, making it more difficult for the French to ship all their unwanted immigrants over to Britain.
So, of course, the British must be wrong in wanting to cut down the burden of immigration into their country which thus causes more immigrants to stay in France, who must have allowed them into the country in the first place, unless many are illegal immigrants which therefore shouldn't be allowed into Britain anyway.
No wonder Pinte is miffed....
'Inhumane Britain solely to blame for thousands of immigrants in France,' blasts senior French politician
By Peter Allen
09th January 2009
Daily Mail
French politician Etienne Pinte: He said Britain should welcome thousands of immigrants currently living in France (in other words, the French don't want them)
A senior French politician today launched a blistering attack on Britain’s ‘inhumane and illegal’ immigration policies, blaming them for causing ‘utter misery’ across the Channel.
Etienne Pinte, a former minister and veteran member of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s governing UMP party, says the UK is ‘solely to blame’ for the build-up of thousands of migrants in northern France.
He says almost all of those trying to illegally board ferries to Dover are from former British colonies.
‘So why are the British now rejecting them while at the same time they’re welcoming thousands of citizens from eastern Europe and in particular from Poland?’ says Mr Pinte, MP for Versailles, near Paris.
‘They don’t want to stay in France. They have a common history with the British.
Most of them speak English. They often have family members who emigrated to Great Britain at a time when being part of the Commonwealth entitled them to do so.
‘Why are the British forcing us to keep them in utter misery in our territory?
‘Why are the British, in spite of international laws and, in particular, the directives of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, organising charter flights aimed at deporting immigrants towards war-torn countries like Afghanistan.
‘It’s up to Great Britain to find a dignified and humane solution to a problem which solely concerns it.
‘It should, in partnership with the French authorities, bring about concrete and quick solutions to an intolerable situation.’
Mr Pinte, who makes his comments in an open letter to immigration minister Brice Hortefeux, says Britain should, initially at least, accept all the northern France migrants.
It would then have to consider all asylum claims on British soil, before accepting the migrants, or repatriating them at the British taxpayers’ expense to ’safe’ countries.
Mr Pinte decided to speak out following Wednesday night’s murder of an Afghan migrant in a notorious camp close to the ferry port in Calais nicknamed ‘The Jungle’.
The 30-year-old was stabbed to death during a gang fight between some 30 young men battling to board lorries heading for Britain.
The victim had been hoping to start a new life in the UK which, Mr Pinte claims, is viewed by migrants as an ‘Eldorado’.
Claiming that the victim would still be alive if Britain had a fair asylum system, Mr Pinte says: ‘We’ve had enough with the illegal migration policies of the British.
‘We’ve had enough of burying anonymous migrants who have dreamt of Britain as their promised land, just like the Jews dreamt of Jerusalem.’
The Red Cross refugee centre at Sangatte, near Calais, attracted thousands of migrants before it was shut down following an Anglo-French agreement in 2002.
Mr Sarkozy’s government has insisted that no similar welcome centre will ever re-open, making the point to numerous UK officials, including the British ambassador in Paris, Sir Peter Westmacott.
The area of Calais dubbed the 'Jungle': Former French minister Etienne Pinte has blamed Britain for a build-up of immigrants in France
But, referring to the current illegal camps in Calais, Mr Pinte says: ‘And since our Immigration Minister seems to have amicable relations with the British ambassador in Paris, I suggest that he takes him to the Afghan Jungle.
‘They would then be confronted by the inhumane living conditions in our country.
‘Inhumane is actually an understatement given that the migrants have to survive in their tents, in the mud, with minimum hygiene, without being able to deal with the cold and the rain.’
Mr Pinte continues: ‘If Sangatte doesn’t exist anymore, the problem remains exactly the same.
'The people smugglers are still operating and hundreds of migrants are still wandering around our coastlines hoping to reach Great Britain, the Eldorado for thousands of men, women, teenagers and children in transit in our country.
‘They nearly all come from former nations of the British empire - Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sri Lanka.’
Mr Pinte, first elected to the National Assembly in 1973 is, like Mr Sarkozy, a fierce right-winger .
He is known by fellow backbenchers to have the president’s ear, having supported him in numerous elections.
But French government sources insisted that Mr Pinte’s comments did not reflect current government thinking, saying that immigration minister Mr Hortefeux had an ‘excellent’ relationship with his British counterparts.
UMP sources in Paris, in turn, suggested that Mr Pinte’s words were those of a ‘silent majority’ of politicians who feel France has become a victim of failed British immigration policies.
READERS' COMMENTS
These people are entitled to claim asylum in any EEC country, yet the rest of EEC merely tries to move them on down the line to the UK.
- ernest oglesby, larnaca, cyprus
************************************************
"who feel France has become a victim of failed British immigration policies"
The British people are the real 'victims', of Brown's failed immigration policies. Perhaps France would like to tell us why they choose to ignore EU policy and send/encourage, Eastern Europeans over here, when they should be either keeping them or sending them back to where they came from?
- Kimberley West, New England / London
**************************************************
Naturally it's the fault of the British. Everything from global warming to spots on your bum is OUR fault. I think everybody in the world should come here and have benefits, loads of children, never work and then we can all sink into the sea together. Problem solved.
- Kathy Gilbert, Yorkshire
**************************************
As far as i am concerned they are on French soil so its their problem, why have they crossed so many countries that should have taken them.
Just round them up & ship them back to where they came from.
I won't comment on the French as you would not print it anyway.
- Mikeman, Portland Dorset
***********************************************
This is almost funny...how is an island like ours supposed to take on more and more immigrants?
If we took everyone who wanted to come here from the former British Colonies, we'd have no space left to stand on! It's funny how the British Empire gets called into play where this issue is concerned and spit upon the rest of the time. France, deal with it. The British Empire is long gone and we no longer have responsibility for these people.
This is exactly the kind of nonsense that you expect from certain other countries. Our immigration policies are inhumane? Chance would be a fine thing!
- sue, United Kingdom
********************************************
"they're welcoming thousands of citizens from eastern Europe and in particular from Poland?' says Mr Pinte, MP for Versailles, near Paris. "
I can assure you that 90% of Britain is not welcoming them.
As for the comments about us to blame for all the immigrants in France, are you JOKING?
You have immigration controls, deal with them, rather than sending them over here. Deport them to whence they came.
"Most of them have something in common with Britain and speak English"?? Where, I haven't seen these ones?? Didn't know we had historical ties to Turkey, Albania, Bosnia et al.
Any way, most of the "Empire" made their beds at the time, when most of them voted for independence, they made their beds, now they can sleep in them.
Why do we owe them any thing?
Time to get tough Britain, stop being whimps and stand up for ourselves.
- Nomad, London, England,
*************************************
It has nothing to do with us. The French let them through their borders, and can't wait to shuffle them to this Country, they are responsible them. These are illegal immigrants looking for an easy life in Great Britain at tax Payers expense caused by this Goverments useless Immigration policies.
- John East, Poole, England
****************************************
Yep thats all the French run EU wants... to place all the rubbish from the rest of Europe into Britain!!! Thats all the EU has ever wanted!
- James, Derby UK,
********************************
Perhaps the French should start by dealing with these people in a humain way, provide them with houseing, cash benifits, the opportunity to work, health cover. Then England could review every case in a legal and fair way and refuse entry as appropriate. Those refused could then stay in France as clearly they are welcomed there. (Strange place France and some of the french)
- Roger, Norfolk,
*********************************
Why did France allow these people into their country in the first place if they do not have the documentation to enter the UK?
Maybe they should look at this first, not critizise us!
- stella, shrewsbury.uk
dailymail.co.uk
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