Illegal Migrants Left Furious After People Helping Them Cross to the UK Were Exposed on Camera

French charity workers have been accused of helping migrants, including young children, near a beach being used for small-boat crossings to Britain.

Video footage reportedly filmed in northern France shows volunteers from the charity Opal’Exil walking along the shoreline with a group of migrants. Several children can be seen among the group as they move along the beach, where small boats had reportedly been launching towards the UK.

In one part of the footage, a male volunteer wearing a purple charity tabard appears to carry a young child on his shoulders. The child is wearing a bright orange life jacket. A female volunteer can also be seen appearing to hold the hands of two other children as the group walks along the shore.

The footage was reportedly recorded on Wednesday at Equihen beach, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Those who filmed the incident claimed some of the volunteers removed their distinctive purple tabards after noticing they were being recorded.

The video has led to accusations that the charity workers were doing more than simply providing humanitarian support. However, the footage alone does not establish that the volunteers were involved in people smuggling or trafficking, and the charity was reported not to have responded to requests for comment.

Callum Smiles, from the online media organisation Voxpopuli, filmed the scene and strongly criticised what he witnessed. He said he was shocked to see volunteers accompanying children close to an area being used for dangerous Channel crossings.

Smiles argued that charities often speak about the need for safer routes for migrants but claimed the scene he witnessed appeared to show volunteers helping families close to boats preparing to make the dangerous journey.

He also alleged that the incident strengthened his concerns that some organisations working with migrants may be doing more than providing food, clothing and basic humanitarian assistance. This remains his allegation rather than an established finding against Opal’Exil.

According to Smiles, three boats carrying migrants had already left the beach by the time the video was recorded. He said another two boats were roughly 100 yards offshore.

He claimed the migrants seen with the volunteers were dry and did not appear to have already entered the sea. In his view, they appeared to be moving along the shoreline while trying to reach a boat that could take them across the Channel.

The footage also captures Smiles confronting the charity workers. He questioned why the organisation appeared to be helping people who might be attempting to enter Britain by small boat and raised concerns about the safety of the children involved.

The situation is particularly serious because Channel crossings can be extremely dangerous. Small boats are often overcrowded, and weather and sea conditions can change quickly. Children travelling on these boats are especially vulnerable if a vessel gets into difficulty.

Opal’Exil was reportedly founded last year and provides migrants in northern France with humanitarian assistance, including food, clothes and other basic support. Its volunteers are recognisable by their purple clothing while carrying out their work.

The organisation reportedly did not respond to requests for comment about the footage, meaning its explanation of what the volunteers were doing on the beach was not included in the original report.

The footage was reportedly taken on the same day and at the same beach where another disturbing incident involving a child was recorded.

Separate video appeared to show a migrant leaving a child in the water while attempting to climb aboard a small boat. Two members of the French emergency services, who were standing chest-deep in the water, rescued the child.

The child was placed on a lifeguard surfboard and taken back towards the beach. The incident highlighted once again the risks faced by families and children attempting to make the journey across the Channel.

On Wednesday, a total of 781 migrants reportedly reached the UK in 10 small boats, making it the highest daily figure recorded at that point in the year.

Deaths during Channel crossing attempts have also remained a major concern. The original report said 24 people died while trying to make the journey last year, including children. That was lower than the figure recorded in 2024, when 73 people reportedly lost their lives.

Another unusual crossing was also reported last week when a large rubber dinghy carrying migrants took around 36 hours to reach Britain after leaving the Normandy coast near the famous D-Day beaches.

A local man named Laurent, aged 61, said he spotted the boat shortly after it left a beach near Port-en-Bessin. He initially believed it might have been carrying tourists.

However, after looking through binoculars, he said he could see that the boat was sitting very low in the water and appeared to be packed with people.

According to Laurent, the vessel travelled along the coastline for a period before changing direction. He described being shocked by what he witnessed.

The latest footage is likely to add to the continuing debate over the role of charities working with migrants in northern France. Humanitarian organisations say their work is intended to protect vulnerable people and provide basic assistance, while critics sometimes accuse some groups of operating too close to attempted crossings.

The video itself has prompted serious questions, particularly because children were involved. But determining exactly what assistance the volunteers were providing, and whether any laws were broken, would require evidence beyond the footage and allegations made by those who recorded it.

What is clear is that families with young children continue to appear at Channel crossing sites despite repeated warnings about the dangers of travelling across one of the world’s busiest shipping routes in small and often overcrowded boats.