3 questions to Emmanuel Daoud, lawyer for Utopia 56 who filed a complaint following the deadly shipwreck of 27 migrants in Calais
Following the revelations of Radio France’s investigation unit stating that the French emergency services had indeed been alerted by migrants present on the makeshift boat on November 24, we asked three questions to lawyer Emmanuel Daoud, counsel for the Association Utopia 56.
On November 24, 2021 at dawn, at least 27 migrants died in the freezing waters of the English Channel following the sinking of their makeshift boat off Calais while trying to reach England.
Until now, the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea claimed that the CROSS Gris-Nez had not been aware of this boat in difficulty before the alert was given by a fishing vessel at 14 time. But an investigation carried out by the investigation unit of Radio France indicates that some migrants had indeed dialed 196, the CROSS number, to call for help that night.
Finally, the prefect’s spokesperson told the journalist who conducted the investigation that this telephone contact was “highly probable”.
Following these revelations, we asked three questions to Emmanuel Daoud. He is the lawyer for the Utopia 56 association, which filed a complaint with the Paris court on December 17, 2021 for manslaughter and failure to provide assistance. The maritime prefect, the CROSS Gris Nez and the British coast guard are particularly targeted.
France 3: The investigation cell of Radio France affirms today that the French emergency services had indeed been alerted. What Utopia 56, which you represent, already denounced on December 17th. What’s your reaction ?
Master Emmanuel Daoud: “My first reaction is a reaction of satisfaction because the truth ends up immersing. The CROSS had said that there had been no call and that they had not been alerted. Afterwards, they said that perhaps there had been a call but that this call had not made it possible to locate the boat. Confronted with these sources which were contaminated by Radio France, the CROSS now says that it is very probable that there was a call.
I feel like we’re hiding the truth. I think that in the coming weeks, proof will be reported that there were several calls, that there were exchanges between the French and English authorities and that we could have geolocated this boat.
What will the criminal investigation have to answer?
“The question will be to know why help was not brought to the attention of this boat to save these passengers identified in a situation of danger. Justice will have to say if there was an error, recklessness or worse, in the hypothetical where the French and the English passed the buck.
In particular, there is a bilateral convention that binds France and Great Britain in the organization of relief. These are legal obligations to provide assistance for the rescue and incident services at sea. Obviously that evening, there were a lot of boarding in danger. Fortunately, on each side of the Channel, help was able to intervene (French help saved more than a hundred people during the day of November 24, editor’s note). Well done, but that’s their job. They’re just doing their job.”
The complaint filed by Utopia 56 targets in particular the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea, the director of CROSS Gris-Nez, but not only…
“I would like to remind you that I am a lawyer but not an activist. But if there are so many attempts to reach England, sometimes in apocalyptic conditions, it is because there is a real hunt for refugees on our ground to avoid fixation points.There is harassment of migrants and people who are only doing their duty of solidarity.
The public authorities and in particular the gendarmerie and police services are engaged in a real hunt. Who bears the moral responsibility for all of this? The Minister of the Interior, his prefects, the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister.
When there are deaths in the Channel in these conditions, there are ministers who bear the moral responsibility for these deaths”.