Retired Major-General Julian Thompson, who commanded British forces during the Falklands War, believes that migrant boats in the English Channel should be stopped with bursts of machine-gun fire, reports the Mail on Sunday.
Major General Thompson, 92, who commanded the 3rd Commando Brigade during the conflict, said of the thousands of migrants who land on British shores every month: “We could stop them tomorrow if we really had the courage. I’d shoot them – I’m sorry, but I would.”
When contacted by the Mail on Sunday, Major-General Thompson clarified that he meant the bullets should be aimed at the vessels, not at those on board.
When asked if he feared a backlash to his comments, Major-General Thompson said: “As long as they don’t come here, I don’t care what they do.”
“They come here and rape our girls. A single burst from a machine gun is all it takes… then they’d get the message. I just want them to get out.”
The statement by the military veteran, who enlisted in 1952 and served for 34 years, was made in an interview with Steven Edginton on the British journalist’s YouTube channel on Sunday.
Thompson believes there could be a revolution in the UK if migration is not stopped,
“If they [the government] don’t stop them, there will be a revolution. Our leaders are just cowards.”
He is not keen on Islam, and does not view Britain’s future with optimism:
In the YouTube interview, Major-General Thompson describes the Islamic faith, to which many immigrants profess, as “a flawed religion, in that women are completely excluded. They can be treated as possessions, and the same applies to children.”
He also says that Britain is “just going downhill”, adding: “I’m glad I won’t be around to see it; by then I’ll be dead.”
“It’s not Britain any more; it’s a sort of strange collection of people, in a rainy country that lets itself be walked all over.”
The British authorities, for their part, are less than enthusiastic about Thompson’s comments. A spokesperson for the Home Office told the English newspaper:
“This government is cracking down hard on dangerous and illegal crossings.”
“Anyone who attempts to take the law into their own hands is putting lives at risk and will face serious criminal consequences.”
Among the opposition, the Conservatives are also concerned, and the situation is reportedly Labour’s fault:
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Opening fire on migrant boats would be completely wrong.”
“I understand people’s anger over the migrant crossings, but we cannot shoot at people. There is another way to put an end to this.”
“If the French won’t stop the boats near the coast, the British Government should deport all illegal immigrants within a week of their arrival.”
“This requires us to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, something the Conservatives are planning to do, but which the Labour government is too weak to carry out.”
“Instead of being deported on arrival, illegal immigrants are housed in hotels and flats. This must stop.”
Migration to the UK reached its peak to date during the term of Boris Johnson’s Conservative government.
The English activist Danny Tommo, who in September punctured an empty migrant boat in the English Channel, is currently in custody awaiting a criminal trial scheduled for next year.
