TL:DR – French Police Directed to Halt Weapon Use Against Migrants Heading to Britain
- Claire Hédon, France’s Defender of Rights, warns against using rubber bullets and tear gas to deter migrants boarding boats to the UK.
- She claims these methods endanger lives, contributing to injuries and fatalities.
- A leaked report criticises police use of riot control weapons, especially against vulnerable groups, including children.
- Hédon calls for stricter oversight and protocols regarding police actions towards migrants.
- Up to 42,000 migrants cross the English Channel annually, with many seeking asylum.
French police told to stop using weapons to prevent migrants reaching Britain on small boats | News World
Claire Hédon has issued a warning about the use of force (Picture: Getty)
French Police Urged to Halt Use of Riot Control Weapons
French police have been told to stop using rubber bullets and tear gas to stop migrants from boarding UK-bound boats in the English Channel.
In a warning to security forces, the country’s Defender of Rights advised officers to refrain from using riot control weapons to try to halt crowds of migrants.
Claire Hédon, the Defender of Rights in Paris, claims the use of armed force ‘endangers people’ and has contributed to deaths and serious injuries among migrants.
Her words come as many British politicians call for stricter law enforcement by the French, who have received around £500 million from the UK to help tackle sea crossings.
Concerns Over Police Tactics
A report on the use of weapons by Hédon, the most senior advisor to the French government on human rights, has been leaked to Le Monde.
She wrote: “The objective of preventing departures is understandable given the danger of the crossing, and law enforcement plays a protective role, but this cannot be done at any cost.”
Escalating Crisis: Migrants Crossing the English Channel
Her report condemns the use of ‘rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades’ against groups of migrants, including children.
Up to 42,000 people crossed the English Channel in inflatable boats organized by people smugglers in 2025, with most of them claiming asylum.
Since 2022, there have been 40 complaints about police violence, almost all filed by Utopia 56, the migrant charity.
Hédon is particularly critical of the use of so-called ‘flash ball’ guns—ones that fire rubber bullets—as well as tear gas, which is a riot control weapon banned in warfare under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Despite the dangers associated with such gas, it is frequently used by police across France.
Recommendations for Change in Police Protocols
The Defender of Rights recommends ‘excluding the use’ of such weapons ‘when the sole purpose of the security forces is to prevent people from boarding a boat’.
Ms. Hédon emphasises: “The use of intermediate force weapons endangers people.”
She noted that the use of these weapons generally occurs at night, often violating rules of proportionality and transparency.
In August 2023, migrant children were among the victims of police tactics at Sangatte, near Calais.
Hédon criticised the practice of turning off police body cameras during incidents when weapons are employed, stating that police rarely file detailed reports about violent interventions.
On April 26, 2024, police admitted firing 10 rubber bullet rounds and using 37 tear gas grenades near Gravelines against a group of migrants who were throwing rocks ‘and other projectiles.’
In the same month, officers prevented a boat from departing Oye-Plage, near Calais, by using 14 tear gas grenades, one stun grenade, and eight rubber bullet rounds, yet ‘no report was filed after this intervention,’ as noted by the Defender of Rights.
Hédon has called for ‘an intervention doctrine’ to ensure stricter control of how police interact with migrants.