The Mail's call for action against migrant boats from Libya is arguably worse than Katie Hopkins's
Most of the papers this morning have reports from aboard HMS Bulwark, the Royal Navy vessel whose crew has rescued 1,200 people attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.
The invitation to reporters was likely part of a public relations drive to show the good work Britain is doing to help those fleeing war and persecution in north Africa and the middle east.
The Daily Mail was suitably impressed by the boys and girls in blue, but had some concerns. Its leader column today said:
“Isn’t the grave danger, however, that by providing would-be illegal immigrants safe passage to Europe, the government risks encouraging even more people to make this perilous journey – with potentially catastrophic consequences?”
Surely the ‘grave danger’ for the people directly affected is in Syria, from where many of them have escaped, and where they risk being blown apart, raped, tortured or beheaded on camera. Others are fleeing war and persecution in Eritrea, Somalia and Afghanistan.
If people are willing to risk death by drowning to get away from this, they don’t require any ‘pull factor’ from the Royal Navy.
The column chuggs along:
“The only sustainable way to tackle this crisis – Defence Secretary Michael Fallon estimates 500,000 migrants may be preparing to make the trip – is to stop the boats leaving Libya in the first place, by any means necessary.”
‘By any means necessary’ – that is how the column ends.
It’s quite novel to read the Daily Mail echoing the famous words of Malcolm X, though I doubt either party would welcome the association. But one is left to wonder where this militant position takes us.
What policy does the Mail actually favour? A naval blockade of the northern coast of Africa? Should the Royal Navy open fire on boats they suspect of carrying migrants? Or perhaps use explosives, of the kind and from which the boats’ terrified passengers have likely fled?
Tough talk without specifics is very dangerous. Katie Hopkins was at least clear on what she wanted in her infamous piece for the Sun.
The Daily Mail ought to clarify what ‘stop the boats leaving Libya in the first place, by any means necessary’, actually means.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more:
Daily Mail’s 5 step guide to demonising migrants
Daily Mail says Syrian refugees turn Greek holiday town into ‘disgusting hellhole’
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33 Responses to “Daily Mail says boats of migrants should be stopped ‘by any means necessary’”
Egon Krebs
and your solution is? to simply allow ANYONE who can get to Libya to get on a boat and migrate to Europe? indefinitely?
why not then just open the borders, and move the entire population of africa, the middle east, afganistan, etc to move to europe? that is the logical conclusion of the current policy.
Ian
The fact you think we operate in a free market is fairly funny.
Ian
Why not try causing merry havoc in their country with our ‘interventions’ n the first place?
blarg1987
Unfortunately any solution will have problems.
My view is that we should go into Libya and Syria through a UN mandate and set up a safe zone, in which people fleeing persecution can reside and rebuild the economy in said zone.
Once the smoke has cleared form the warring factions, then those people can move out of the safe zone and help rebuild their country instead of the current system of being assimilated into another society and not wanting to go back home after.
Mick
Pouting leftists have defecated where they eating, in the words of fellow leftist Kruschev. Left-wingers have ruined their own political environment.
For decades, the mantra has been to do us a favour, open the doors and let ’em in. All in, no upper limit, as Blunkett said. Now we have overloaded infrastructure and housing demands, depressed wages and exploitative employers.
The public are sick and tired of ever more migrants/refugees and the Mulitculturalism coming with them. More people are prone to just say ‘Sink the boats as we have too many people already.’ Or something else, like sending the army in to smash whichever nob-ends can’t rule Africa properly since the imperialists left.