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

Families

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
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