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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Diane Taylor

French police accused of rising use of violence to stop Channel crossings

People wearing orange life vests wade through water to board an already laden boat
People wade through water to board a boat in Gravelines, northern France, in May. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

People trying to cross the Channel to the UK have reported an increase in French police use of violence on beaches to prevent them from getting into dinghies, according to a French NGO.

Utopia 56, which works on beaches from where migrants attempt Channel crossings, says so far this year 2,720 people have reported being victims of French police violence, compared with 1,954 over the same period last year, when crossings overall were much higher.

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