Migrant attacked by man moments after landing in UK

LONDON

A young migrant was assaulted by a man moments after landing in the UK, the Sun reported Tuesday.

The migrant, who was in his twenties, landed on the beach in Kingsdown, Kent, southeast England. The attack happened around 11 a.m. (1000GMT) Sunday, and the migrant was left injured.

Police, searching for the attacker, said in a statement: “Kent Police was notified at around 11.05 a.m. on Sunday of a reported assault of a man in his 20s off Undercliffe Road, Kingsdown.

“Officers attended to ensure the welfare of the man, who was not seriously injured and did not require hospital treatment.

“Enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and the identity of the person responsible are ongoing.”

Local MP Natalie Elphicke said: “There is no excuse for vigilante behaviour.”

Earlier this month, the far-right Britain First group announced that they had set up vigilante patrols, looking for migrant ships in the Channel. They released video footage of their patrols.

There has been no evidence so far that they were involved in Sunday’s attack, as police are still looking for the suspect.

Over 4,000 migrants have arrived this year in Dover on small boats after crossing the Channel.

Hope not Hate, an activist group that counter racism and fascism, condemned the Britain First. Joe Mullhall, a senior researcher with the group, was quoted by Kent Live as saying: “Britain First are a tiny far-right group with little influence, but they specialize in attention seeking social media stunts that inflate their size and importance.

“Their self-delusion leads them to adopt quasi-military imagery such as wearing homemade uniforms, adopting pompous job titles or as in this case, pretending to go on ‘patrol’ whilst declaring Britain First as the ‘only political movement anywhere in the world with its own navy.’

“But no-one should be complacent about their racist and thuggish personnel who are seeking to vilify people and inflame emotions around a complex situation.

“All right-thinking and decent people must condemn the activities of the radical and far-right seeking to exploit this situation, and make it clear that they have no place in this debate,” he said.