Illegal Migrants Trying to Board a Boat and Head to the UK Suddenly Heard Terrifying Gunshots, Then a Man Who Witnessed It Revealed Who Fired Them

Conservative MP Chris Philp has claimed that a French naval vessel fired live rounds while he was on a boat in the English Channel, describing the incident as feeling like a warning or an attempt to intimidate those on board.

Philp shared a video on social media showing what appeared to be a French patrol ship operating in the Channel. The footage was recorded while he was out monitoring small boat migrant crossings with a BBC journalist.

According to Philp, the incident happened as he was being interviewed on the boat. He said the French warship came close before firing what he claimed were 17 live rounds into the water behind their vessel.

Writing online, Philp said: “On the Channel today monitoring illegal migrant crossings. As I was being interviewed by the BBC just now, a French warship approached close and fired 17 live rounds behind us.”

He added that there had been no warning of any live-fire exercise and no indication that military training was taking place in the area. Philp said the shooting felt like either warning shots or an attempt to intimidate those on board.

BBC reporter Michael Keohan, who was with the MP during the incident, also described the moment as unusual. He said the French patrol vessel came within around 300 metres of their boat before firing several shots towards the rear of its own vessel.

Keohan said photos appeared to show a crew member holding what looked like a handgun pointed towards the sea. He estimated that around 17 shots were fired during the incident.

Marine tracking information reportedly identified the vessel as a Flamant-class patrol ship, a 54-metre-long French naval vessel used to patrol the French side of the English Channel. The ship can carry up to 21 crew members and is equipped with two 12.7mm machine guns.

Speaking later to The Daily Telegraph, Philp said he had left Dover early that morning and was around two miles from the French coast near Cap Gris-Nez when the incident happened.

He explained that the French warship had been patrolling nearby before moving closer to their boat while he was giving the BBC interview.

Philp claimed the firing only happened when the vessel reached its closest point, around 300 metres away, and stopped once it had moved on. He said the crew had not been firing before approaching or after leaving the area.

He said the skipper of the boat told him he had never witnessed anything like it before. Philp also claimed there had been no radio warning, no official notice about live-fire exercises, and no indication that weapons would be discharged nearby.

Philp said the incident left him believing the shots were intended either as a warning or as an attempt to intimidate those on board, although no official explanation has yet been provided.

The UK Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment, while French authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.