Refugee crisis: Turkish coastguard 'attacks boat packed with migrants'
Allegations will exacerbate concerns about the treatment of refugees by Turkey amid accusations of harsh tactics
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Turkish coastguard attacked a flimsy dinghy packed with men, women and children in a bid to prevent it reaching Greece, it has been claimed.
Footage filmed by Channel 4 News in the Aegean appeared to show members of the coastguard repeatedly striking the boat with sticks in order to break its engine. One young woman was hit on the head, according to those on board.
After failing to cut the motor, the coastguard crew revved their vessel’s engine to create a huge wake, in what film-makers said they believed was an attempt to sink the boat.
The allegations will exacerbate concerns about the treatment of refugees by Turkey. While the country has won international praise for accepting an estimated 2.7 million Syrians, it stands accused of using increasingly harsh tactics amid heavy pressure from the EU to stop the tide of people heading to the West.
The boat filmed by the Channel 4 team did make it to shore. On board were about 40 people from Eritrea, Cameroon, Congo, Syria and Iraq. Reporter Alex Thomson said: “What we witnessed could have very easily resulted in people being tipped overboard with head injuries. Or the boat could have been overturned. It was incredibly dangerous.”
The Turkish government did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously admitted using sticks to intercept a boat after warning it to stop. Responding to similar footage filmed on another boat that came under attack, the coastguard said: “Maximum attention was applied ... to not to harm the migrants.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments