The sporting goods chain Decathlon has removed boats from the stores in Calais and Grand Sainte in northern France to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel on them writes The Guardian.
Decathlon will no longer offer kayaks or canoes in Calais or Grande-Synthe, both known as gathering points for illegal migrants bound for the United Kingdom across the relatively narrow body of water.
“The purchase of these kayaks will no longer be possible in response to the current situation,” the company told AFP.
The company says watercraft sold in these locations are being “diverted from their sporting use” and instead used as “boats to cross the Channel.”
Forsided, 18.11.2021