Violent clashes erupted between French police and migrants near Dunkirk on December 20, 2025, as hundreds attempted to cross the English Channel. Exclusive footage reveals members of the French gendarmerie firing volleys of tear gas at a large group as they tried to launch an inflatable dinghy from a river in Grand-Fort-Philippe. Despite the intervention, the group succeeded in boarding their vessel and entering the Channel.
This confrontation coincided with a significant surge in crossings, as at least 700 migrants departed French beaches that morning. The arrivals, including groups brought ashore in Dover by the RNLI and Border Force, marked a resumption of activity after a 28-day winter lull caused by poor weather and pushed the total number of people making the illegal crossing in 2025 past 41,000.
The incident highlights the severe limitations and ongoing friction in the UK-France diplomatic approach to stopping the boats. Following months of pressure from London, France agreed to a policy of intercepting small boats at sea. However, a critical restriction has fuelled frustration:
French maritime police have confirmed they will only attempt to stop empty “taxi boats” used by smugglers before passenger’s board, citing excessive risk to life if they intervene with occupied vessels. UK critics have lambasted this condition; commentator Tom Harwood questioned the point of pushing back empty boats, calling the policy “absolute and utter nonsense”. The UK government continues to defend its broader strategy, stating it has “removed almost 50,000 people” and is implementing “the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades”.
Complicating the crisis further, the coast has become a stage for British far-right activists, accused of harassing migrants and provoking violence. The group “Raise the Colours,” which describes itself as a “civilian border control force,” has launched “Operation Overlord,” with members traveling to northern France to patrol beaches, destroy dinghies, and confront migrants.
Nine French humanitarian associations have jointly accused UK and French authorities of a “seriously inadequate response” to these activists, arguing that official inaction “contribute[s] to normalising and encouraging violent and xenophobic practices”. While the Home Office has urged groups not to “take the law into their own hands,” the activists’ continued presence underscores the volatile social tensions surrounding the migration issue and the challenge of maintaining order on the French coast.
