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‘How badly damaged?’ asks Carlson.
‘Difficult to say, sir.’
Carlson’s phone is buzzing. He steps away to take the call. Soon afterwards, I’m summoned to follow. He walks and talks. ‘HM Coastguard has plotted a possible point of collision. They’re sending someone from their joint operations centre to talk to us.’
I ride in the police car with Carlson. He answers calls on the journey, receiving information about the post-mortems and the ongoing investigation. Twelve of the dead have been identified.
When his next call ends, he turns to me. ‘You haven’t given me your opinion.’
‘On what?’
‘You’re my fresh set of eyes. What am I dealing with?’
‘Not an accident.’
‘Clearly.’
‘It’s either a random racist act or part of an orchestrated campaign to discourage migrants from making the crossing.’
‘What makes you think it’s orchestrated?’
‘This boat separated from the other migrant vessel that left Calais on the same evening. It went north-east, along the French coast, before turning north-west. This made the journey longer and riskier. Why?’
‘I assume you’re going to tell me.’
‘They were frightened because they didn’t have permission to travel.’
‘Permission from who?’
‘The migrants call him the Ferryman. The National Crime Agency calls him a myth. I talked to a friend at the NCA, who said rival gangs of people smugglers have been waging a turf war over the past year – trying to control the people trade. This sinking could have been a warning – telling migrants to choose the right side.’
Carlson seems to chew this information over, as we enter the outskirts of Grimsby. ‘Go back to the racist angle.’
‘Have you heard of the Identitarian movement?’ I ask.
‘No.’
‘It’s a political ideology that opposes globalisation and multiculturalism. Basically, they’re a bunch of white Europeans who claim their land and their culture is being polluted by foreigners. One group, Defend Europe, has been leasing ships and leading patrols in the Mediterranean.’
‘What sort of patrols?’
‘Publicly, they claim to be monitoring the humanitarian ships who are picking up refugees, but privately there are reports of migrant boats being deliberately swamped or made to turn back to North Africa.’
‘Vigilantes?’
‘Not a word they use.’
‘You think a group like that could be operating in UK waters?’
‘I think it’s worth investigating.’
‘Surely such a group would claim responsibility for the sinking – otherwise it won’t be a deterrent.’
‘Maybe they have. The information only has to reach the camps. That’s their audience.’
‘So, we should be looking at white nationalists or neo-Nazis?’
‘Particularly anyone with a history of violence against migrants or minorities. Most are recruited when they’re young. The unemployed and unemployable. The bullied and marginalised.’
