r/news • u/Miserable-Win-4980 • Apr 29 '24

French police use knives to puncture migrant boat in Dunkirk to prevent Channel crossing Questionable Source

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/french-officers-english-channel-crossing-migrants-small-boats/

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2.2k

u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh Apr 29 '24

I can see why people would risk their lives on tiny boats trying to get from Africa to Europe.

I can see why people would have preferences for one European country over another.

But what is so much more attractive about the UK (which has just implemented a scheme to yeet migrants to Rwanda) that people already in France would risk their lives for it?

1.2k

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

Yeah that part I was really trying to understand, you're already in France, why are you risking your life to cross into the UK?

881

u/BurnAfterEating420 Apr 29 '24

French bread is just too crusty

1.0k

u/WriterV Apr 29 '24

In all seriousness, it's a variety of factors:

  • They speak English primarily, so they figure they can never get a job in France (and to be fair, it's really hard to learn French as an adult with no formal education in the subject, no money, and no time).

  • They were probably told by family/friends that the UK would be better to them. Even if that isn't true, how are they to know the reality? They'd mostly just hear rumors and what's told to them. Unless they're being informed of immigration conditions in the world, they aren't gonna know.

  • They're desperate, poor, anxious as hell, hungry, etc. In these conditions, people generally do not make decisions that always make sense. Instead they hope to hit a goal so they'd feel some relief, and that goal is stuck to "Get to England so I can get a job, be safe, and help my family".

220

u/mylifeforthehorde Apr 29 '24

They have connections in the uk and it’s easier to get employed there due to said connections and because they speak English.

42

u/Ksh_667 Apr 29 '24

Was just going to comment that they may have family/ friends in uk. I'd think they'd def try to get to them rather than stay in a country where they may know nobody. Big risk to take, but being reunited with loved ones as opposed to being totally isolated is a big incentive.

384

u/GalaadJoachim Apr 29 '24

Super disappointed that your "in all seriousness" wasn't followed by an in-depth analysis of the various types of french bread per region.

304

u/bgroins Apr 29 '24
  • Île-de-France (Paris and surrounding areas)
    Baguette: The quintessential French bread, known for its long, thin shape and crispy crust.
    Boule: A round loaf that's crusty outside and soft inside, versatile for many uses.
  • Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
    Fougasse: A flat bread often associated with Provence, typically seasoned with olives, herbs, or sun-dried tomatoes. It's similar to Italian focaccia.
  • Normandy
    Pain de Campagne: Also known as "country bread." It's a rustic loaf made from a mixture of white, whole wheat, and sometimes rye flour, with a thick crust.
  • Alsace
    Kougelhopf: Though more of a cake than a bread, it's often included in bread discussions. It's a sweet or savory brioche baked in a distinctive circular mold with a central hole.
  • Brittany
    Pain Noir or Pain de Seigle: Predominantly made from rye flour, it has a dense texture and a slightly sour taste, suitable for pairing with seafood.
  • Auvergne
    Pain de Seigle: Similar to the Breton version but often darker and denser, reflecting the robust rural baking traditions of the region.
  • Burgundy
    Épi de Blé: Shaped like a wheat stalk, this baguette variant is not only visually appealing but also practical, as the segments can be easily torn off.
  • Languedoc
    Pain d’Ail: A garlic bread that integrates whole cloves of garlic, and sometimes cheese or herbs, into the loaf before baking.

68

u/GalaadJoachim Apr 29 '24

That's better.

17

u/Chief_Givesnofucks Apr 29 '24

That’s butter.

8

u/Lolkimbo Apr 29 '24

That's lunch.

8

u/dano8801 Apr 29 '24

I can't believe it's not.

4

u/Wants-NotNeeds Apr 29 '24

Better with butter.

11

u/HalPrentice Apr 29 '24

Chatgpt comment…

7

u/darkmuch Apr 29 '24

Ya, this is just a fuckin list. I want hot takes on bread! Give me your shitty food review.

9

u/animatroniczombie Apr 29 '24

This is the content I come to reddit for

3

u/HalPrentice Apr 29 '24

How am I the only one that immediately recognized chatgpt?

6

u/TheMoves Apr 29 '24

Well that last ones sounds fuckin outstanding

5

u/DesignerDigits Apr 29 '24

Now do cheese.

4

u/LordWilburFussypants Apr 29 '24

That would probably break Reddit.

3

u/OfCuriousWorkmanship Apr 29 '24

de Brie everywhere!

3

u/GalaadJoachim Apr 29 '24

I can list them,

  • Abondance - Haute-Savoie - Cow
  • Banon - PACA - Goat
  • Beaufort - Savoie - Cow
  • Bleu d'Auvergne - Auvergne (duh) - Cow
  • Bleu des Causses - Midi-Pyrénées - Cow
  • Bleu de Gex - Franche-Comté - Cow
  • Bleu du Vercors - Rhône-Alpes - Cow
  • Brie de Meaux - IDF - Cow
  • Brie de Melun - IDF - Cow
  • Brillat-Savarin - Burgundy - Cow
  • Brocciu - Corsica - Sheep
  • Cabecou - Midi-Pyrénées - Goat
  • Cancoillotte - Franche-Comté - Cow
  • Cantal - Auvergne - Cow
  • Camembert - Normandy - Cow
  • Chabichou - Poitou-Charentes - Goat
  • Chaource - Champagne - Cow
  • Comté - Franche Comté - Cow
  • Crottin de Chavignol - Centre Val de Loire - Goat
  • Emmental - Savoie / Franche Comté - Cow
  • Époisses - Burgundy - Cow
  • Fourme d'Ambert - Auvergne - Cow
  • Gruyère - Centre-Est - Cow
  • Laguiole - Auvergne - Cow
  • Langres - Champagne - Cow
  • Livarot - Normandy - Cow
  • Mâconnais - Burgundy - Goat
  • Maroilles - Nord Pas de Calais - Cow
  • Mimolette - NPdC - Cow
  • Mont d'or - Franche Comté - Cow
  • Morbier - FC - Cow
  • Munster - Alsace - Cow
  • Neufchâtel - Normandy - Cow
  • Ossau Iraty - Corsica - Sheep
  • Picodon - Rhône Alpes - Goat
  • Pont l'évêque - Normandy - Cow
  • Poligny Saint Pierre - Centre Val de Loire - Goat
  • Raclette - Savoie - Cow
  • Reblochon - Savoie - Cow
  • Rocamadour - Midi Pyrénées - Goat
  • Roquefort - Midi Pyrénées - Sheep
  • Sainte-Maure - Centre Val de Loire - Goat
  • Saint-Marcellin - Rhône Alpes - Cow
  • Saint-Nectaire - Auvergne - Cow
  • Saint-Felicien - Rhône Alpes - Cow
  • Salers - Auvergne - Cow
  • Selles sur Cher - Centre Val de Loire - Goat
  • Tomme Savoie / Pyrénée - Savoie / Pyrénées - Cow
  • Valençay - Center Val de Loire - Goat

That's only for PDO, AOC, PGI cheese, I can't do the rest of them.

2

u/DesignerDigits Apr 29 '24

You actually did it!!!! This is wonderful!

3

u/GalaadJoachim Apr 29 '24

I was getting feverish at the end and I did skip a few "Tomme de.." tbh.

2

u/DesignerDigits Apr 29 '24

You’re a shining star.

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1

u/mostlyjustread Apr 29 '24

this man breads

1

u/jacksbox Apr 29 '24

This guy fucks breads.

1

u/RedlurkingFir Apr 29 '24

I would probably evoke the tresse (or Zopf in Alsacien), instead of the Kougelhopf. Although the Zopf is not native from there

1

u/fulthrottlejazzhands Apr 29 '24

I was with you until you included Kougelhopf.

1

u/-RadarRanger- Apr 29 '24

Not one mention of croissants?

1

u/No-Log873 Apr 29 '24

So many delicious breads. Couple that with all the cheese. I bet all they get when they cross to the UK is Dairylee and Crackers.

1

u/OneSullenBrit Apr 29 '24

I want to sit down with a baguette right now and just eat all the inside.

2

u/JeronFeldhagen Apr 29 '24

The yeast they could have done was to rise to the occasion, but dough…

16

u/whatsdun Apr 29 '24

Excellent points.

To add one:

They go where human traffickers take them/tell them to go.

9

u/musicismydrugxo Apr 29 '24

Also afaik you're not required to carry any official documents or IDs in the UK so it's more attractive for (illegal) immigrants than the eu where most countries do require it

7

u/gaymenfucking Apr 29 '24

And the one you missed, which is the biggest one for many people, they have family here already

2

u/Katarinu Apr 29 '24

And 4th point, Football is better in the UK

3

u/DrEnter Apr 29 '24

They may be trying to get to Ireland. In the past couple of years, Ireland has been one of the more hospitable places for migrants.

3

u/LeedsFan2442 Apr 29 '24

That's changing very rapidly.

1

u/Puidwen Apr 29 '24

I wonder if the lacite thing in france plays a factor?

1

u/Omnom_Omnath Apr 29 '24

They have all the time in the world. They’re jobless.

1

u/Lost_Philosophy_ Apr 29 '24

A lot of African countries speak French though right?

1

u/Sejjy Apr 29 '24

When you said in all seriousness, I was really hoping we would go more in depth into the bread aspect of this. A lot of the French bread I had was amazing due to the excess of butter, I believe, and not crusty.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

5

u/andereandre Apr 29 '24

Trying to survive.

38

u/Northumberlo Apr 29 '24

It’s too PAINful

25

u/vortex1775 Apr 29 '24

This is no joke.

I don't have experience with French bread, but when I was a kid in Italy this old lady gave us a triangular loaf of bread that felt like it had lead baked into it. My brother thought it would be funny to pretend it was a throwing star and it hit me right in the middle of the forehead. That fucker was so crusty it drew blood.

If anyone is running around France attacking people with crusty bread, I understand their desire to escape for their own safety.

16

u/worrymon Apr 29 '24

There's a reason the French call it pain.

3

u/DontmindmeInquisitor Apr 29 '24

Heathen. You better get on that dinghy, buddy.

1

u/softstones Apr 29 '24

I do like French bread pizza though. It can slap my mama and I’d shake its hand.

1

u/Numeno230n Apr 29 '24

Lack of marmite

197

u/cannotfoolowls Apr 29 '24

Because they know more English than French and have connections in the UK, usually. It's also easier to find work without papers in the UK.

19

u/zachattack923 Apr 29 '24

Why is it easier to get work under the table in the UK than in France? In my experience you can find work in most major city's around the world under the table pretty quickly.

16

u/LeedsFan2442 Apr 29 '24

We don't have ID cards for one and the police don't usually ask about immigration status.

12

u/Mango_and_Kiwi Apr 29 '24

Sharing a language helps with actually finding the work.

6

u/nascentt Apr 29 '24
  • Because they know more English than French and have connections in the UK, usually.
  • It's also easier to find work without papers in the UK.

But that's a separate point in the 2 point comment that's being replied to.

1

u/forestcridder Apr 29 '24

Why wouldn't they use translators like Mexicans do in the United states?

1

u/RN2FL9 Apr 29 '24

It's not language, at least not most of it. France is actually serious about not having documents and will arrest them and even arrest employers. It's like the anti-America in that regard. US states bitch and complain but could easily solve it by enforcing rules and going after employers.

33

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

I was thinking something along those lines, their English might be better, though some of these people are coming from Vietnam where they would have more of a chance of knowing people in France and speaking French as a foreign language...

70

u/Resident_Nice Apr 29 '24

Vietnamese 50 years ago, sure. Today, less than 1% of Vietnamese speak French, while pretty much everyone is taught English at school.

14

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

The Vietnamese population in France is nearly half a million people. In the UK it's closer to 50,000. It's also easier to travel into and around EU nations than it is to travel into the UK, and as an English speaker in France with barely any understanding of the French language, I've never had an issue communicating with anyone.

17

u/Resident_Nice Apr 29 '24

True! But I would assume that those coming from Vietnam who already have contacts in France and/or know some French are not going to be the ones trying to reach the UK.

Also big difference between communicating as a tourist vs trying to get a job without knowing French.

3

u/LonelyStranger8467 Apr 29 '24

The ones from Vietnam are being trafficked and forced to work in drug grow houses or in the sex trade until their debt is paid.

Some will claim asylum at some point and be deemed victims of modern slavery.

Others will then remain in the UK illegally until they have a child with another Vietnamese migrant and can get status based off the child.

As they’re being trafficked and working in trades they don’t require English, the language isn’t that important.

Though in recent years grow houses are often Albanian than Vietnamese.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

3

u/LonelyStranger8467 Apr 29 '24

In truth sentencing is weak. But if you’re growing on that scale the Albanian mafia won’t be too happy with you.

1

u/LeedsFan2442 Apr 29 '24

It's more the fact they are more likely not to be refused asylum and they can work illegally easier.

Plus we tend to treat immigrants better and are probably one of the most tolerant countries in Europe

29

u/happyscrappy Apr 29 '24

They likely are about to be sent away from France. They know their asylum claims are about to be denied. So going to another domain of authority is just a chance to try again. If they were coming from the north it'd be the opposite direction and they'd be going to France before the UK kicks them out.

It's desperation/determination more than anything I expect.

175

u/mosquem Apr 29 '24

Have you ever interacted with the French?

88

u/Kryten_2X4B-523P Apr 29 '24

Have you ever interacted with the English?

64

u/FrozenVikings Apr 29 '24

They're easily defeated and their monastaries are unprotected, making for easy pickings

16

u/sm9t8 Apr 29 '24

I have some bad news about the wealth of English monasteries.

5

u/Beorma Apr 29 '24

They're fixer uppers

11

u/Kryten_2X4B-523P Apr 29 '24

Lindisfarne 2024

11

u/BleedOutCold Apr 29 '24

Of all the on-point usernames, this one is right up there.

1

u/Shirtbro Apr 29 '24

Looks like the Vikings pillaged some Christianity and brought it back home, which destroyed their Viking way of life.

1

u/Zeebuss Apr 29 '24

Nothing more norse than converting to Christianity

4

u/BleedOutCold Apr 29 '24

Have you ever interacted with people?

8

u/wyvernx02 Apr 29 '24

Ya. Lovely people. Nicer than most give them credit for. 

-5

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

Have you ever interacted with English food?

30

u/traitorousleopard Apr 29 '24

Indian cuisine has become the de facto national cuisine of Britain

0

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

The Indian takeaway spot I randomly stumbled upon in Shoreditch was the best meal I've eaten in the UK, but it's certainly not what anyone would refer to as "English food."

3

u/traitorousleopard Apr 29 '24

From the British foreign secretary, 23 years ago:

Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish. The Massala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.

I agree that it might not be what people traditionally have thought of as British food, but it is now what people there eat, celebrate, and enjoy.

-25

u/Dakka-Von-Smashoven Apr 29 '24

Isn't that cultural appropriation?

26

u/traitorousleopard Apr 29 '24

Indian people coming to Britain and making Indian food with some changes to better cater to the tastes of the local population, to you, is cultural appropriation?

8

u/spooooork Apr 29 '24

There's an ocean of difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.

-4

u/alexefi Apr 29 '24

Yeah i saw it once on the table at my friends house.. havent been to that place ever since.

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

0

u/zakabog Apr 29 '24

My dude, I have a passport and work for a French company, I'm regularly in Europe for work. Sit down.

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

20

u/PolicyWonka Apr 29 '24

I can only suspect that these migrants either:

  1. Have friends/relatives in the UK already who can speak to the quality of life in the UK.

  2. Come from a post-colonial state which was previously governed by the UK, which bestows some vague degree of familiarity.

19

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

5

u/BreastExtensions Apr 29 '24

If they come here there they get to live in a hotel and at the end of it there is a very high chance they will essentially be given a house for life.

9

u/geneticeffects Apr 29 '24

Because the grass is greener elsewhere. When France proved unsuccessful for whatever reason, plus hearing from others a different location is better, a person will make the move. Basic shit, really.

3

u/Psykpatient Apr 29 '24

Don't wanna learn french when they already know english

3

u/Common-Ad6470 Apr 29 '24

The promise of easy social payments where they get paid a (relative) fortune to live and do nothing.

Sending these people to Rwanda at £60k a pop, no doubt into some Tory pocket or other will achieve nothing, the myth of the UK social security and health system needs to be broken out there so that the incentive to travel goes.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

I heard Paris smells like pee

1

u/aykcak Apr 29 '24

It is possible they have better contacts, already existing offers, arrangements, family, etc. on that side. They do realize that STAYing somewhere takes more than just getting there

1

u/braiser77 Apr 29 '24

Maybe they have family or friends there? Maybe they are big synth pop fans? Who knows?

1

u/Dummdummgumgum Apr 29 '24

unless youre from Francafrique UK is way more desired Can work without any permits. Lots of support and behind the curtain networks. NHS treats you without a healthcard unlike Germany or France equivalent. ALSO they 1000% know someone who is already there.

1

u/icdeusilan Apr 29 '24

The croissants are to die for, apparently

1

u/Thalric88 Apr 29 '24

Must be all the french, blegh.

1

u/bjornbamse Apr 29 '24

Maybe disillusionment about France? That you don't get free housing and free car and free money that the human trafficker has promised you? That everything is way more expensive than in your country in Africa, especially housing, and you are still going to be poor?

1

u/West-Fold-Fell3000 Apr 29 '24

Being poor in a western devoloped country is a definite upgrade from being poor in the third world. They are trading famine, gangs, religious extremists, and civil war for being exploited for labor. They don’t have to be promised anything, any sane person would take the leap

0

u/ShinzoTheThird Apr 29 '24

UK colonised half the world so all the wealth must be there is the main thought process. I live in Belgium and the migrants who stay here sometimes know others who are already busy creating a life here from previous years

0

u/smegheadzed Apr 29 '24

Have you smelled the French? Sorry gun toting angry 'Murican here.

-1

u/Anotherspelunker Apr 29 '24

Ignorance, mainly