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’
Sign up for our weekly email by clicking here.
33 Responses to “Daily Mail says boats of migrants should be stopped ‘by any means necessary’”
gunnerbear
Extreme views? That is exactly why the Labour Party had the s**t kicked out of it – they simply didn’t listen to the people at the bottom of the pile who got hammered when the Labour Party threw open the doors to all and sundry and still wants to do so. The Red Mob knew the damage being done to those at the bottom of the pile as it allowed the UK to be flooded with low skilled, cheap Labour but it didn’t care – it still did it. Labour is still so ashamed of it that they won’t even talk about the issue. Want to hear ‘extreme views’ on things like immigration & law ‘n’ order – get yourself into a pub in an area where cash and jobs are hard to come by and listen to the voters.
Harold
I was trying to be ironic, sorry if I failed. Personally I do not buy any newspapers save my locals as a protest against all of them, phone hacking, bias, distortion, infusion, bullying and many other faults, indeed there is only one thing worse than our free press and that is a press that is state controlled, but I fear we are going that way now we are a “One Party” state.
Harold
I assume the low paid immigrant are different from the immigrants who are only here for benefits, which is the other angle. Lets once again blame the people with no power, not even a vote rather than those with the power who pass the laws who decide when and where a school will be built or a hospital shut, who do nothing about the massive fraud in the City, were not some banks fined millions yet again this week for actions since 2007 not before?
I suggest you have absolutely no evidence for your assertion that the U.K. was: “to be flooded with low skilled, cheap Labour” your capital letter not mine. Much more evidence that the lowest paid are affected by poor education, lack of training, exploitative employers, Trade Unions with their hands tied, unbalanced employment laws and many other social issues. All the time we blame others these ills will be with us, if you would care to read any social commentary books from 100 years ago you will see the same issues described and at that time the solution was to also blame the poor, the immigrant the unskilled the people without the vote.
One other point please do not assume I support the Labour Party or its present policies, equally I did not see any political party other than the Tories, who won the election, do well, there are few prizes for coming second, yet it is their policies since 1980 which have left us where we find ourselves. Finally I find it astonishing that the world simply absolves its self from any responsibility for the situation millions of innocent people find themselves in and at the same time turn their backs, I as a Christian in a tolerant educated Country will not forget the words in the bible about helping one another and our neighbours.
gunnerbear
in essence, you’ve said “of course the Labour party threw open the doors to the scum, flotsam and jetsam of the world and gave their chums in business a crack a huge pool of dirt cheap labour….but it’s the voters fault they’re angry and can’t see the benefits of being overrun by foreigners.” And you wonder why Labour is rapidly becoming dead and buried. No evidence about mass immigration – the population has rocketed, demands for services and homes has ballooned, some schools don’t even have that many children in them who speak English as the main language. Stick your head in the sand all you want – but unless Labour stands up and says, “Yes we’re sorry we s**t on you at the bottom of the pile….” they aren’t going to ever get close to power again. Remember the Labour advisor who admitted the whole point of flooding the country with immigrants was to try and make it impossible for the right to win again – lo and behold, the small ‘c’, , conservative, working class voters are now in the process of killing Labour off for its treachery. I know former Labour voters who will now never ever vote Labour again as those voters can see the impact mass immigration has had in terms of how difficult it is for their children and grandchildren to even get their foot in the door as agency work is rife and tends to ‘pick foreign’ in any case. The same voters can see their childrens rent climbing through the roof thanks to the demand for housing caused by the mass arrival of the immigrants. You can talk in the ‘large scale’ of the banks, of HMG, of the world, but the people I know care about ‘them and theirs’ and will never forgive Labour. Not now and probably not ever.
Harold
Thanks for putting words in my mouth or adding comments I did not make.