HASAN fled Syria across the Turkish border in March, the night before his young son’s birthday. A brush with people close to the authorities had convinced the 38-year-old that his days as a free man were numbered. An open boat took him from Turkey to Greece, where he acquired false papers. He made his way to Germany and then to France, arriving three months later in the northern port of Calais. For the past four weeks he has been sleeping on dirt under plastic in the migrants’ encampment in the dunes known as “the Jungle” as he tries to travel the final 20 miles (32 kilometres) to England. His hands bear the scars of daily failed attempts to scramble onto trains and lorries. But at least he lived to try again. On July 7th French authorities announced the second death in as many weeks in or near the Eurotunnel that runs under the English Channel. On July 13th, three migrants received severe electric shocks there. Is the journey really worth it? France and Britain are comparably rich countries with broadly similar approaches to human rights and welfare. Yet charities say more than 1,000 people have made the risky crossing in recent...
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