Am Jahrestag der Havarie eines Schlauchbootes am 24. November 2021 richteten Hinterbliebene einen offenen Brief an den britischen Premierminister Rishi Sunak. Sie fordern Gerechtigkeit für die über 30 Opfer, von denen einige nicht einmal tot geborgen werden konnten. Die Familien von neunzehn der Opfer benennen die Verantwortung beider Staaten für das letztlich tödliche Ausbleiben eines Rettungseinsatzes und verlangen eine transparente Aufklärung des Geschehens. Nicht zuletzt fordern sie eine grundlegende Veränderung der Politik gegenüber den Bootsflüchtlingen, die Schaffung sicherer Routen und ein Ende der antimigrantischen Rhetorik der politischen Führung Großbritanniens. Wir dokumentieren den von zivilgesellschaftlichen Akteur_innen mitunterzeichneten Brief in der von Care4Calais veröffentlichten Form:
Demand justice for the victims and families of 24th November 2021 tragedy in the channel
To: Rishi Sunak
On 24 November 2021, 32 people slowly froze to death in the icy waters of the English Channel while waiting for a rescue that never came. 27 bodies were recovered and four are still missing, only adding to the pain of the families left behind. There were 21 men, seven women including one who was pregnant, and three adolescents who died.
Their flimsy boat left France around 10pm, but around midnight began to deflate and sink in the middle of the Channel. Between 2am and 4am the passengers called the French and English rescue services many times begging for help. No one came. The French told them they were in British waters and the British told them they were in French waters. Around 3am the boat overturned, tipping all passengers into the water and some began to drown because of the waves. Over time, others resigned themselves to letting go as they gave in to the cold.
Eleven hours later – at 2pm the next day – a French fisherman spotted the bodies in the water and raised the alarm. When the French coastguard finally arrived they found only two survivors.
We will never let the lives that were lost on the 24 November 2021 be forgotten. For the victims and their families, we demand justice.
We demand answers to why French and British authorities failed desperate people who came asking for help.
We demand to know when the results of the Article 2 Inquiry will be made public to give answers to the families who have already waited a year.
We demand an end to the poisonous rhetoric used by our politicians – calling innocent refugees ‘illegal migrants’ or, worse, ‘an invasion’ – which breeds fear and division.
We demand that the government changes its approach to Channel migrants. All the evidence shows that the overwhelming majority are in genuine need of our help, and if their claims were processed they would be granted asylum.
We call for safe passage to allow these refugees to claim asylum in Britain without risking their lives in the Channel.
We call for their claims to be processed quickly so they can become a valuable part of our communities, secure work and contribute to the success of our country.
On behalf of the victims of the 24 November 2021 and their families, we demand change.
We demand that the division and fear of anti migrant rhetoric used by political leaders is replaced with the kindness, compassion and empathy that people and communities across Britain show everyday to refugees.
Signatories:
| Family Member Name | Victim’s Name |
|---|---|
| Zana Mamand Mohammad relative of | Twana Mamand Mohammad |
| Mstafa Mina Nabi relative of | Zaniar Mstafa Mina |
| Rasul Farkha Husein relative of | Pshtiwan Rasul Farkha |
| Saman Abubakir Alipour relative of | Sirwan Abubakir Alipour |
| Husen Mohammad relative of | Mahammad Husen Mohammad |
| Sarhad Pirot Mohammad relative of | Sarkawt Pirot Mohammad |
| Shamal Ali Pirot relative of | Shakar Ali Pirot |
| Ahmad Mohammad Akoyi relative of | Afrasia Ahmad Mohammad |
| Abdulkarim Hamd Abdulrahman relative of | Bryar Hamd Abdulrahman |
| Ismail Hamd Qadir relative of | Muslim Ismail Hamd |
| Rizgar Husen Hamd relative of | Kajal Ahmad Khizir |
| Hadye Rizgar Husen | |
| Mubin Rizhar Husen | |
| Hasti Rizgar Husen | |
| Yasin Husen Hamd relative of | Rezhwan Yasin Hasan |
| Qadir Abdullah relative of | Mohammad Qadir Abdullah |
| Omar Mohammed relative of | Hassan Mohammed Ali |
| Ali Mohammed relative of | Hassan Mohammed Ali |
| Emebet Kefyalew Gizaw relative of | Fikeru Shiferaw Tekalegn |
Other Signatories:
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Clare Moseley | CEO Care4Calais |
| Weyman Bennett | Co-convener Stand Up To Racism |
| Kudsia Batool | Head of Equalities at the TUC |
| Wilf Sulivan | Race Equality Officer at the TUC |
| Aamer Anwar | Human Rights Lawyer, Scotland |
| Dave Ward | CWU General Secretary |
| Mick Lynch | RMT General Secretary |
| Eddie Dempsey | RMT Senior Assistant General Secretary |
| Sharon Graham | Unite General Secretary |
| Kevin Courtney | NEU General Secretary |
| Sarah Woolley | BFAWU General Secretary |
| Matt Wrack | FBU General Secretary |
| Riccardo la Torre | FBU National Officer |
| Paul O’Connor | PCS Union Head of Bargaining |
| Ricky Jones | TSSA Organiser |
| Rabbi Lee Wax | |
| Rev Judith Morris | General Secretary, Baptist Union of Wales |
| David Rosenberg | Jewish Socialist Group |
| Nazek Ramadan | Migrant Voice |
| Simon Tyler | Executive Director at Doctors of the World |
| Aderonke Apata | Founder and CEO African Rainbow Family and Founder and Chairperson of Manchester Migrant Solidarity |
| Naomi Webb | Executive Director at Good Chance Theatre |
| Nick Beales | Head of Campaigning at Refugee & Migrant Forum of Essex and London |
| Eleanor Brown | Managing Director, CARAS (Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) |
| Heidi Radke | Chair, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign (CRRC) |
| William Gomes | Director, the William Gomes Podcast |
| Amber Bauer | CEO forRefugees |
| Ros Holland | CEO The Boaz Trust |
| Beth Gardiner-Smith | CEO at Safe Passage International |
| Steve Martin | Director of Channel Rescue |
| Catharine Walston | Chair, Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group |
| Natalia Paszkiewicz | Project Lead, Da’aro Youth Project |
| Indre Lechtimiakyte | Legal and Migrant Manager at Samphire |
| Michael Rosen | Author |
| Jeremy Corbyn MP | |
| Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP | |
| Zarah Sultana MP | |
| Paul Sweeney MSP |