On the windswept shores of Gravelines, dozens of migrants trudged across the sand, their movements closely shadowed by nearly as many police officers. Some managed to climb aboard a dinghy headed for England, while others, weary and dejected, were left behind. Driven by conflict, poverty, and the distant promise of asylum, they risked it all - boarding fragile boats despite dangerous waters and mounting crackdowns. As the Channel grows deadlier, so does their desperation for a new beginning.
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Migrants onboard a smugglers' boat attempt to cross the English Channel to enter England. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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Migrants run with their children as they try to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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Migrants try to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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French Republican Security Corps (CRS - Compagnies Republicaines de Securite) officers stand guard on the beach of Gravelines to prevent migrants from boarding a smuggler's boat, to cross the English Channel and reach England. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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Migrants walk into water to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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Groups of migrants hide in the dunes as they wait to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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French Republican Security Corps (CRS - Compagnies Republicaines de Securite) officers throw tear gas on migrants to prevent them from boarding a smuggler's boat in an attempt to reach England. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP
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Migrants walk in the water as they try to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France. (AFP)
Photo Credit : AFP