French rights ombudsman criticizes police weapons use against Channel migrants under UK-France deal

France's independent rights ombudsman, the Défenseur des droits, has criticized French police for using weapons to stop migrants launching small boats across the Channel. The rebuke targets enforcement carried out under a £660m UK-France migration accord that deploys riot-trained officers to northern French beaches. NGO Utopia 56 logged over three daily victims of police violence in Calais and Dunkirk from March to September 2025.