French minister urges UK to "take its responsibilities" on migrants

Paris, Nov 29 (IANS) French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin has urged Britain to "take its responsibilities" on migrants, saying France will not be "hostage to UK's domestic policy."

"We have to work with our British friends. They must help us collectively to better fight against smugglers," Darmanin said, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.

The French Minister accused the UK of closing legal ways to applications of asylum. "In France, there have been 150,000 asylum requests since January 1. In Britain, it's 30,000."

Following the death of at least 27 migrants trying to cross the Channel to reach Britain on Wednesday, he called for "an even more intense fight against smugglers."

"Migrants should not be criminalised, but those who organise these transfers," he added.

A growing number of illegal immigrants made Channel crossings to Britain recently. The BBC reported that more than 1,000 people had arrived in a single day in November for the first time, and more than 25,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year, Xinhua news agency reported.