With rolling, golden sands and clear blue oceans, the Canary Islands are a renowned tourist destination.
Last year, 18.4 million people visited the islands, bringing in more than €23m (£19.6m) in revenue.
But beyond the tourist buzz is a starkly different reality. The Spanish archipelago is one of the world’s hotspots for irregular migration, with 17,788 people arriving by small boat last year.
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Burnham’s changes to early release scheme
Andy Burnham has approved an early release scheme for prisoners after a rapid review of the Starmer-era policy. Here are the changes that the new PM has made.
Caption: SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 31: Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during a visit to a family centre on July 31, 2026 in Sheffield, United Kingdom. The prime minister was there for the launch of the biggest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, which will allow English mayors to keep a share of the taxes collected in their area, giving communities greater control over the decisions that shape jobs, transport, housing and public service. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Photographer: WPA Pool
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Source: Getty Images Europe
The original proposals
Under the Starmer-era policy, the proposals would let out some prisoners after they served a third of their sentence.
These inmates would have only ever spent half of their “prison” time behind bars anyway, with the rest on licence.
Those who had been sentenced to over four years would spend more time in prison.
They would be let out after half their time was served, rather than two-thirds.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
What is the change?
PC Andrew Harper and his wife, Lissie (Photo: Thames Valley Police/PA Wire)
A flood of complaints
Burnham’s review followed complaints, including from the widow of PC Andrew Harper.
New blocks
Burnham’s changes mean rapists and serious child sex offenders will be blocked from early release.
Caption: A view of the landings of E wing inside HMP Wandsworth, London, United Kingdom. The prison install netting between floors to prevent inmates from jumping from the balcony to commit suicide. Wandsworth is the largest prison in the UK, currently able to hold 1665 prisoners. Alongside Liverpool, which is of similar size, it is one of the largest prisons in Western Europe. The prison was built in 1851. (Photo by Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
Photographer: Andrew Aitchison
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Source: Corbis Historical
Copyright: Andrew Aitchison
Caption: Two prisoners stand outside their cell on the A wing at Wandsworth prison. The main prison has 5 wings (A to E) each with 4 landings; A wing holds Long term prisoners and is fitted with suicide netting between each floor. HMP Wandsworth in South West London was built in 1851 and is one of the largest prisons in Western Europe. It has a capacity of 1456 prisoners. (Photo by Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
Photographer: Andrew Aitchison
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Source: Corbis Historical
Copyright: ? Andrew Aitchison
Existing exemptions
Those found to be the most dangerous type of offender or anyone serving a life sentence will be exempt.
Continued discontent
Perpetrators of domestic abuse may still be eligible for the early release scheme under the changes. The domestic abuse commissioner said victims of the crime appear to be an “afterthought” for the Government.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Security cameras at HMP Wandsworth prison on July 12, 2024 in London, England. The country’s new justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced today that the government will release thousands of prisoners early to alleviate overcrowding. Under the new policy, prisoners on “standard determinate sentences” will be released after serving 40% of their sentences, rather than 50%. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Lissie Harper speaking outside court after the verdicts (Photo: PA)
Lissie Harper, widow of PC Andrew Harper, remains upset that two of the people involved in her husband’s death, when he was dragged behind a car for a mile, will be considered for early release.
Watch more from The i Paper
How are teenagers being recruited as killers by Iranian-linked criminal gangs? The conviction of Norwegian teenager Johannes Natland has exposed how vulnerable young people are being lured into carrying out violent attacks across Europe, including on UK soil, by the Iran-linked Foxtrot network. The case has raised fresh concerns about the growing use of teenagers as proxy assassins, as security agencies warn Iranian-backed plots continue to pose a threat in Britain. Read the full story at the link above. #IranWar #Norway #News #Gaming #Security
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transport
Half-price train tickets for 18-year-olds
Photographer: Alina Rudya/Bell Collective
Provider: Getty Images
Eighteen-year-olds will be able to buy half price train tickets for most services in new railcard rules coming later this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
What has changed?
The new rules involve an extension of the 16-17 Saver railcard which currently expires when the holder becomes 18.
Caption: February 8th. 2024. A diesel powered passenger commuter train stops at Hatton Station Warwickshire England UK. It is a bright day and there are no visible people in the picture.
Photographer: kodachrome25
Provider: Getty Images
Caption: Rear-view full-length shot of a mid-adult male standing on a railway station platform in Northumberland, North East England. He is wearing a warm coat and backpack as he waits for a train to arrive. There is a blurred motion train passing by on the other side of the tracks. Videos similar to this scenario available.
Photographer: SolStock
Provider: Getty Images
From 17 August, they will be valid for a full year from the date of purchase meaning 17-year olds can buy it up until the day before they turn 18. This would make it valid until the day before they turn 19.
What are the benefits?
Caption: Young woman using laptop on public transport. Business travel. Business and technology concept.
Photographer: Oscar Wong
Provider: Getty Images
Unfair split
The rule left 70,000 students each year £175 worse off than those in the same academic year who hadn’t turned 18.
Half-price
The 16-17 Saver Railcard costs £35 a year, and gives 50 per cent off most train fares.
Photographer: Peter Muller
Provider: Getty Images/Image Source
Caption: Young Asian woman with eyes closed, listening to music with wireless headphones in train. Business and leisure travel. Travel and vacation.
Photographer: Oscar Wong
Provider: Getty Images
An upgrade
Eighteen-year-olds could already have a 16-25 Railcard, but that only provided a third off fares.
A common sense change
Rail Minister Lord Hendy branded the move a “common sense change” and “exactly what passengers should expect from the railway”.
He added that this would “lower the cost of travel at a critical time for teenagers, whether they’re pursuing further education, vocational pathways or getting their footing in the jobs market”.
Big Read
4 min read
Exclusive
3 min read
Apple is set for a court battle against the Home Office – here’s why
Apple has launched a legal challenge against a UK government demand to gain access to its customers’ highly encrypted data.
Caption: New York City, United States – September 27, 2016: Glass building of the Apple Store with huge Apple Logo at 5th Avenue near Central Park. The store is designed as the exterior glass box above the underground display room
Photographer: ozgurdonmaz
Provider: Getty Images
What caused the dispute?
The UK government made a second request to Apple to give it a “back door” to encrypted iCloud data of British users.
As a result, Apple launched a legal complaint last month at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
This is an independent court with the power to investigate claims that UK intelligence services have behaved unlawfully.
WORLD
4 min read
An ongoing disagreement
Last year, the UK government had already asked to access data from UK and US customers, but later backed down.
Caption: Modern UK government building in Edinburgh. Large text sign and coat of arms on glass windows with reflection on a cloudy day. Edinburgh, UK, 05.03.2025
Photographer: izvir8
Provider: Getty Images
Caption: Close-up shot of a woman using mobile device with Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) security while logging in securely to her laptop. Privacy protection, internet and mobile security
Photographer: d3sign
Provider: Getty Images
Copyright: ? 2025 Yiu Yu Hoi
Authorities subsequently issued a new “technical capability notice” (TCN) to Apple that didn’t apply to American users.
What is Apple’s challenge?
Apple is looking to challenge the British government’s powers to issue TCNs, under the UK Investigatory Powers Act.
This compels companies to give information to law enforcement agencies working on cases including terrorism and child sexual abuse. Apple argues that allowing access would make users more vulnerable to data breaches and other threats to privacy.
Photographer: Pascal Deloche
Provider: Getty Images
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Caption: Oscar the dog. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
news
Dog’s ashes launched 119,000 ft into space – what we know
In an effort to give his late French bulldog a “last adventure”, one owner sent his pet’s ashes 119,000ft into the sky in a weather balloon, where they were then released into space.
What you need to know
Jacob Battersby, a TikToker from Stockport, decided on the send-off when his six-year-old dog died suddenly from a brain tumour.
He launched the balloon from Rugby, equipped with a GPS tracker, cameras and Oscar’s favourite toy.
After reaching the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, the balloon burst, scattering Oscar’s ashes.
The package then descended by parachute to a landing spot 55 miles away near Nottinghamshire.
SAVING AND BANKING
3 min read
A special send-off
It’s really special. They say after about six months, his ashes will eventually return to Earth as rain. I really like the idea that a little part of him is still up there.
jacob battersby
Caption: The balloon taking off and rising into space. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
Testing their work
The memorial allowed Battersby and his friend Callum King to test a pet tracker they developed through their company, Zoomi.
The pair had expected it to stay in the air for around two hours, so when that time passed, they initially thought it was gone forever.
Caption: The balloon taking off and rising into space. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
Caption: The Zoomi team, filling the balloon. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
King said: “Finding it proved not only that Oscar had completed his final journey, but that our tracker had done exactly what it was designed to do.”
More adventures to come
Battersby has another French bulldog called Toby, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
Caption: The balloon taking off and rising into space. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
Caption: Toby the dog. // A dog’s ashes were launched 119,000ft and scattered in space. Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog who died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year, has been given one final adventure after his ashes were sent to the edge of the atmosphere in a weather balloon. His favourite Toy Story alien plush and a pet GPS tracker travelled to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a weather balloon tribute on May 7, 2026. His owner, Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, and friend Callum King, 26, from Rugby, launched the balloon from Rugby, Warwickshire.
Photographer: SWNS
Provider: Callum King / SWNS
Source: Callum King / SWNS
Battersby said he intended to make the most of the time they have left together by organising various adventures, including a paragliding trip.
“It’s probably the closest she’ll ever get to space, and to Oscar,” he said.
Asian women drinking protein after training – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
health
High-protein snacks can be much less healthy than you think
High protein snacks and drinks including yogurt, porridge pots, cereal bars and milkshakes are more popular than ever.
But their “health halo” may obscure how some of these foods are not really good for us, analysis has found.
What is the issue?
Some of the snacks can be seen as “protein washing” – when foods are marketed as healthy due to high protein when they should be eaten in moderation.
Caption: healthy snack on the go, man’s hand holding cereal bar and bottle of water on train during trip
Photographer: Ekaterina Vasileva-Bagler
Provider: Getty Images
‘Health and wellness influencers who may have the best of intentions, but sadly lack the expertise to recommend purchasing of health products’ (Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty Images)
Often, the two main shortcomings of such snacks are failing to be very high in protein and having more sugar than protein, said Robert Bradshaw, superintendent pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy, which carried out the research.
The expert view
High protein can give something a bit of a health halo. But it is important to look at the overall nutritional content, and it’s probably better to get your protein from whole food sources rather than snack bars and shakes.
bridget benelam, scientist at the british nutrition foundation
Caption: Man opening protein bar during workout
Photographer: Cultura Creative
Provider: Getty Images/Tetra images RF
How much protein you need
UK guidelines estimate a typical woman needs around 45g and a typical man needs around 55g of protein per day.
But these figures were based on the amount needed to avoid getting sick, rather than the optimum, said Dr Chris Macdonald, a behavioural scientist at the University of Cambridge.
Recent US guidelines doubled this target, meaning more people are not getting enough protein.
Analysis
2 min read
What to avoid
People are also advised to get between 10 and 35 per cent of their daily calories from protein.
Of 88 high-protein snacks analysed, over a quarter failed to meet the 30 per cent threshold.
The worst offenders were porridge pots, which typically only reached about 22 per cent of their calories from protein.
People should eat more protein outside of pre-prepared snacks, in chicken, tofu, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt and boiled eggs.
Greggs, Boots and M&S team up with Met Police to tackle shoplifting
Major retailers on London’s high streets are making use of new technology from the Metropolitan Police to catch shoplifters.
Caption: Woman is stealing bottle of wine and hiding it in handbag in supermarket.
Photographer: vchal
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
What is the technology?
The new technology allows retailers to submit CCTV footage and other evidence to officers in minutes.
This enables the Met Police to track, arrest and build cases more quickly.
Tesco, Boots, M&S and Greggs are among those already using it across Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and Greenwich.
The rollout is expanding across Southwark, Lambeth, Sutton, Croydon and Ealing.
OPINION
3 min read
Is crime really falling?
I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believe and very few people working in retail would see… It is becoming more brazen, more organised and more aggressive.
thinus keeve, m&s retail director
Caption: A branch of the British chain of department stores Marks & Spencer (M&S) in the High Street in Bromley, Kent (South East London).
Photographer: whitemay
Provider: Getty Images
What do the figures show?
New technology should result in more charges
80%
The number of shoplifting offences that resulted in no charge last year.
29.4%
The number of cases which resulted in a caution, charge or criminal disposal when the new technology was used, compared to 7.3 per cent previously.
Shoplifting has become a major problem
Caption: Caught On Camera: Elderly Man Hides Groceries In Coat At Supermarket.
Photographer: AndreyPopov
Provider: Getty Images
Earlier this year, a 17-year-old boy was spared jail after stealing over £100,000 worth of goods from Boots.
Greggs has had to remove display counters from some of its stores due to a rise in shoplifting.
OPINION
3 min read
Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Three
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
Millennials
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
Gen X
Daisy, 56
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
Anna, 52
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
Mimi, 46
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
Boomers
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Caption: A married couple sitting in silence, looking in opposite directions. The image captures the concept of female loneliness within a marriage, emotional disconnection, and relationship problems. Symbolizes quiet desperation and isolation at home
Photographer: Galina Zhigalova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Seven rules to save your marriage
(Photo: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty).
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Therapists
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty).
Listen
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
‘One question is how to achieve such a longevity hack when most of us have relationships that unsettle us,’ says Dr Amir Levine (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
‘I’m genuinely considering returning to full-time work’ (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty Images)
Caption: A senior couple spend time in an indoor sunny market. The woman looks through a clothes on a rail as her husband waits patiently behind her.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
Last week, more than 60,000 people crossed the sea border from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, many of them swimming. European Commissioner for Migration, Magnus Brunner, said on Tuesday that the surge had been fuelled by criminal smuggling networks and disinformation on social media.
Before the mass crossing, the number of sea arrivals in Ceuta had stood at 2,826 for 2026 up to 15 July. The Canary Islands had had 4,400 arrivals by sea by the same date, according to UN data on what is known as the West Africa Atlantic route.
The Canaries are a common jumping-off point for those seeking to travel from the continent to Europe. Migrants arriving in Gran Canaria – predominantly from West Africa – have been pictured sleeping rough or in crowded reception centres not far from the hotels where tourists enjoy five-star stays.
In June, Pope Leo paid a two-day visit to the Canary Islands, which are situated off the north-western coast of Africa, calling for an “examination of conscience” on migration. He visited Gran Canaria’s Arguineguin fishing port, dubbed the “dock of shame” during the pandemic, when thousands of migrants camped out there with nowhere to go.
“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,” the Pope said, adding that we “cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead”.
Today, Spanish authorities remove migrants swiftly from the islands. The number of crossings peaked in 2024, with more than 46,843 making the journey, often in wooden fishing boats. Numbers are falling, in part due to higher numbers of interceptions off the West African coast by EU naval patrols.
But hundreds of hungry migrants still regularly arrive in Arguineguin, in packed, unstable boats, desperate to seek out a new life in Europe. Many do not make it, with their bodies taken to morgues by Spanish health workers. Unmarked graves are common on the island. The lucky – but feeble – migrants who do make it are helped on to the dockside.
Arguineguin is just eight miles from Maspalomas, a tourist haven for British sunseekers all year round, where shorts and bikinis are de rigueur even in December. But these two worlds, if ever, rarely collide, said Calvin Lucock, a British former hotelier who worked in Gran Canaria and opened his home to migrants when the island’s hotels closed during the pandemic.
Calvin Lucock with his wife, Unn Tove Saetran, opened their home to migrants who had nowhere to stay during the pandemic (Photo: Graham Keeley/The i Paper)
“These two places are very close but people do not see the migrants arriving. They may see them later when they start working in the hotels in Arguineguin or in Maspalomas,” he told The i Paper. “But isn’t that the same situation all over the world? How many Catalans do you see driving cabs in Barcelona or Londoners driving cabs in London?”
Many people make the journey to the Canary Islands from Morocco and the Western Sahara, but some travel from further south, in Mauritania and even Senegal and the Gambia. When The i Paper visited in 2024, dock workers were busy sinking one of the boats as it was too filthy to be used.
One senior Spanish NGO worker said tourists do not see the migrants arriving, and that they are removed from the islands “sometimes within a week”.
This bizarre contrast is found in many tourist hotspots; the coastlines that make the locations so desirable for visitors also make the countries accessible for migrants seeking a new life in Europe.
Last year, Greece received nearly 38 million visitors, but it also saw the arrivals of more than 41,000 migrants by sea and 7,000 by land – with 107 people reported dead or missing while making the journey. There have already been 18,569 crossings this year.
In March, 22 migrants died off the Greek coast after spending six days in a dinghy. Two months later, hundreds of migrants were rescued south of the islands of Crete and Gavdos, with most reporting having left from Libya one or two days earlier.
During the Covid pandemic, mass evictions left many Greek refugees sleeping rough without access to shelter, protection or proper healthcare, according to Doctors Without Borders.
Emma Stevenson, acting CEO at Choose Love, which supports search and rescue missions and humanitarian aid to asylum seekers, said that “the same glittering coasts which attract tourists each year to enjoy the sun, local areas and swim in the seas, are also locations in which people arrive every year after having taken dangerous and terrifying journeys in search of safety”.
The Greek island of Kos is a beloved holiday destination but also home to one of Greece’s 5 Closed Control Access Centres – a “prison-like centre with bars and fences which house displaced people arriving on the island, without shade, proper food or access to medical support”.
Ruins on the coast of Kos, which also houses a Greek detention site (Photo: Simon Dannhauer/Getty)
In Sicily, search and rescue crews saving lives from small boats are delayed or rejected from docking at the island, Stevenson said, as The i Paper found while reporting from a rescue ship in the Mediterranean.
“These island locations thrive off tourism, while those who arrive escaping persecution and in need of compassion are often deterred through hostile policies or pushbacks,” Stevenson said, calling for safe routes for migrants to reach Europe.
Juliette Frontier, policy manager at Safe Passage International, said that the coastline was what united tourist and migration destinations. “For people fleeing persecution or conflict who may not have passports, visas or other documents needed to travel through regular routes, travelling by sea may sometimes present fewer formal barriers to reaching another country,” she said.
“Of course, this does not make the journey easier or safer as these journeys can be extremely dangerous and carry a very real risk to life. The same coastline can represent leisure and relaxation for tourists, while representing danger, exhaustion, uncertainty and even death for someone arriving irregularly and in search of safety.”
This can make emergency responses more difficult, Frontier said, with local organisations and communities finding themselves responding to people arriving with urgent and complex needs in places primarily set up for tourism.
In some areas which see large numbers of asylum seekers, local authorities are conducting “clean up” operations, like in northern France, where there are daily evictions of camps and large rocks placed to prevent people from putting up shelters on waste land. “These co-ordinated policing efforts seek to render refugees invisible,” Frontier said.
The contrast between luxury tourism and dangerous small boat crossings “highlights the unequal reality of global mobility”, Frontier said.
“For many people, travel is straightforward, but for those from countries facing strict visa restrictions, lawful movement can be extremely difficult,” she said. “The contrast shows how where someone is born and the passport they hold can greatly affect their ability to travel safely and legally. While some people move freely, others face major legal and practical barriers even when fleeing persecution or conflict.”