A FLOTILLA of Little Ships which set out yesterday to mark the 85th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation was forced to change course in the English Channel — to avoid a migrant boat.
Dozens of vessels taking part in the commemoration, which began at 6am on the south coast, were said to have been “shoved out the way” to create a nautical mile exclusion zone around the vessel.
Skippers of the 66-strong flotilla set out to honour the World War Two rescue of troops from Dunkirk[/caption]
The ‘Little Ships’ flotilla was ‘shoved out of the way’ to create a one-mile exclusion zone around the vessel packed with migrants crossing from France[/caption]
A heroic RNLI crew who helped in the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation[/caption]
It came as a record 820 migrants crossed the Channel, with two of them, a woman and a child, dying on the journey.
The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships had hoped the trip would ensure the legacy of the evacuation continued to inspire future generations.
The event marked Operation Dynamo during which 338,000 Allied soldiers were evacuated by about 850 private boats between May 26 and June 4, 1940 as Nazis swept through Europe.
Its success led to Second World War PM Winston Churchill’s “we shall fight them on the beaches” speech.
Like those vessels, yesterday’s 66-strong flotilla launched from Ramsgate in Kent, heading for Dunkirk in Northern France.
En route, a marine audio alert asked them to change course. It stated: “There’s a [French] warship on our head with a migrant [boat] close by.
“And we’ve been requested to give one nautical mile distance from that vessel, over.”
The message is understood to have been initiated by UK Border Force and the French Navy which was escorting the small boat.
One observer said: “They have asked the British ships to get out of the way. It is one of the most important days in history and they are shoving them out of the way.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “On the very day we mark the heroism of Dunkirk, over 800 illegal migrants crossed the Channel.
“And while British veterans and their families retraced the path of courage and sacrifice, they were ordered to stand aside for a boat full of illegal migrants.
“This is what Labour’s border policy has come to. Small boats now take priority over the Little Ships of Dunkirk.
“It’s shameful, it’s disgraceful, and it’s a national embarrassment.
“So far, 2025 is the worst year on record for Channel crossings.
“If illegal migrants were removed upon arrival to a third country, such as Rwanda, the boats would stop.
“Labour scrapped that deterrent and now Britain is paying the price.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage last night added: “This says it all about the destruction of our history and our values.
“The aggressive young males on their way over have nothing in common with us.”
The route change came as the woman and child died.
A French Navy vessel set out to try to help them and ten others on board who needed assistance.
First responders performed first aid but to no avail and the deaths were confirmed later.
