French rights watchdog faults police tactics against Channel migrants under UK-France deal

France's rights ombudsman, the Défenseur des droits, says police wrongly used weapons to stop migrants launching small boats across the Channel. The enforcement stems from a £660m UK-France migration accord deploying riot-trained officers to northern French beaches. NGO Utopia 56 recorded over three daily victims of police violence in Calais and Dunkirk from March to September 2025.