Video shows four boats crossing from Wissant to the UK with no police intervention

Migrants cross the Channel from Wissant as French authorities stand by

Last week a 54-minute video surfaced, filmed on 19 and 20 June 2026 on the beach at Wissant (Calais), showing four boats carrying migrants heading for the UK while French gendarmes watched from 25 metres away without intervening. The author, who has documented the phenomenon over five trips to the region, says the officers were photographing each other while the migrants waited to board. The British government has transferred £662 million to France under the bilateral migration agreement.

The gendarmes' inaction

According to the footage, the migrants gathered in broad daylight just 100 metres from the police, making no attempt to hide. The whistleblower recounts that one of the men threw a stone at him in front of the officers, who did not react; when he tried to fend off the attack, a gendarme threatened to arrest him for taking photos without permission. "The officers don't go into the water," he sums up. Moments later, the group walked towards the sea and set off across the Channel.

The cost of the Franco-British agreement

The scene has reignited the debate over the effectiveness of the £662 million London has paid Paris to prevent these crossings. The obvious question is whether the money is helping to stop the crossings or simply funding photographic surveillance of the beaches. The video, self-funded and free of commercial interests, offers direct evidence that contradicts the official narrative of effective cooperation.

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With these images, the question left hanging is whether the £662 million is paying for anything more than photos of the team.