Countering this means more than debunking the myths of 'safe and legal' routes. It's also about addressing the criminalisation of 'facilitating arrival' – often presented as a necessary measure to uproot the 'criminal gangs' exploiting vulnerable individuals.
In fact, human rights organisations and academic researchers have time and again shown that counter-smuggling policies and targeting of boat drivers harms migrant communities the most. These policies overlook the reality that, in many instances, those piloting boats are the poorest and least resourced among asylum seekers, agreeing to steer these vessels and take on significant legal risks in exchange for free passage.
And indeed, Ibrahima, who is from Senegal – a country still grappling with the effects of colonialism and with 40% of its population living below the poverty line – asserted that this was precisely why he agreed to pilot the boat.
Having journeyed from Senegal to Mali, then Algeria and Libya, before taking a boat from Libya to Italy with the aid of smugglers, Bah decided to pilot the vessel in exchange for free passage. During his trial, Bah said when he realised the boat was unseaworthy, he refused to drive it, but he was then assaulted by those that organised the trip who coerced him into complying. The jury not only dismissed Bah's claims but also the testimonies of the survivors themselves, who portrayed Ibrahima as an "angel" trying to save lives.
As detailed in Captain Support's court report, a witness statement from the captain of the Arcturus presented Bah as "mouthy" and ungrateful, both racial stereotypes. The all-white jury concluded that Bah, a Black teenager, had failed in his duty of care towards his fellow passengers. By convicting Bah of manslaughter, the jury effectively exonerated the UK of responsibility for its lethal border policies.
The UK is not alone in this regard. In Italy, four survivors of the Cutro shipwreck are on trial for the deaths of at least 94 people, with one already convicted, despite evidence that the Italian authorities deemed the migrant boat 'not of interest' just before the shipwreck. And Greece prosecuted nine Egyptians over the 2023 shipwreck of the Adriana, which killed 600 near the coast of Pylos, despite mounting evidence for the Greek coastguard's role in the boats capsizing.
Britain's emulation of these policies is both predictable and deeply alarming. British prime minister Rishi Sunak recently teamed up with Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni in her attempts to crack down on 'illegal migration'. And in November 2023, Suella Braverman – then the UK home secretary and the architect of the 'stop the boats' campaign – lauded Greece's "tough but fair migration policy" following her tour of one of Europe's most harrowing borders. This dangerous coalition, which wields death and scapegoating as tools of deterrence, must be dismantled immediately.
Ibrahima Bah's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday 23 February. Solidarity actions have been called in response, including a call for support at 2pm at Canterbury Crown and a demonstration at 6pm at the Home Office.
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