loves thank you so much, lot as author from our business this you're watching dw news up. next we've got a documentary for you taking a close look at the use border protection organization from tex, i'm terry morris. the can you see is what old car tires have to do with steel production? here's a hands on the really indeed the snow on youtube, the february 19th 2024 on the mediterranean sea between turkey and greece. an

inflatable boat carrying migraine is confronted by the greek coast guard and forced to turn back grab his stick, grab his dick the in the background, a boat that's been deployed by the use border protection agency front techs these kinds of encounters shouldn't be happening anymore. the use external borders are patrolled from here. our reporters are at the front techs in warsaw. the border protection agency has been flags by negative headlines for years. from tex must defend itself against serious allegations on tax officials have been hiding insights on human rights. violations from texas. also accused of taking part in the legal push backs of refugees on the

exterior borders on it. to help me, the former director has now become a far right member of the parliament and from texas, new boss says he wants to change things for the better. so i'm responsible for the fact that my people don't participate in anything called push that kind of phone tag, successfully re brand itself to, to do anything concrete thing since it took office to prevent this from happening, you can tell them stop this. a briefing in the operation center information on the use, our borders is collected here in warsaw. soon a front tech's aircraft will take off from the italian island of land producer to patrol the mediterranean and transmit live footage. back to base. on the left is alessandro zakiria, the team leader. he served in the italian police for around 30 years. whether it is

good. so we are expecting many sightings and we have a already for events ongoing which we detect in on the previous flight. and we were to go on that target to update it to make an update and assess the situation, but event and target, you mean refugee votes, are you looking for migrant boat? soon after about 10 minutes, the pilots bought a boat in the water. around 60 passengers are on board the the new one. you guys, the lessons. they're making the assessments on the people on board for you and see if it's screwed or not. we track if the both these are the

rates or is even if it's the same, we check a also if they have great complain life list some information like uh about the people on board of course and maybe now he's asking if the some of the possible both are in the vicinity in order to get closer and save them. in this case, what makes you decide that they have to be saved. and then you could just say ok with that every, every, both of them by then needs to be saved because they are usually a saying with, you know, this votes are not so sure. not so safe. you can see the solar crowded and it's very low on, on bow. what there is very close to the so obviously they need to be saved.

but it's not that simple. national authorities located in their respective countries are the ones who ultimately decide what happens to a boat that gets blocked. do you kind of decide what to do? so if the microns should be saved or brought back to another country or whatever? no, no, no, no, it's not tell what position. okay, so this is a saturday is provided to the member states. so what do we are doing here in these room when it comes to an survey young's academic, this is done up already west of the member states. but we are not in charge of classifying events or of their response. so front text is something like a service provider for the e u member states. let's take a brief look at its history. in 2004 front, tx was founded as a small e u agency with a few staff and a modest budget. it was originally intended to support the border patrols of member states with its expertise. then came 2015. the received 1300000 applications for

asylum, nearly all of them through unofficial channels. since then, there's only one thing european policy makers have been able to agree on. regarding migration is from tech support to be strengthened with even more fun tech support. and also that's why it's important to strengthen from text. to expand from text even more from takes is the instrument from, from tex with help from, from tex. policy makers wanted to look tough and border protection, pouring more and more money into the agency over the years. since it's the establishment, the annual front ex budget has increased from 6000000 euros to more than 900000000 . images of another boat arrive at the operation center in warsaw. most of these migrants arrived to the you via the route across the central mediterranean, by way of north africa, heading for italy. in 2023 alone front tex recorded more than 150000

unauthorized entries by this root. can we have a picture picture we're trying to to understand if it's a new one. it's one of the both we already detect in the morning compare. we need to compare, but sometimes it's not easy. a, it looks the same that we use a fixture. i've got already detected in the morning, 1445, so we're going to do an update to the sizing that we already made this morning. this maritime refugee route to europe is known as one of the deadliest in the world . according to the un refugee agency, more than 4000 people either died or with missing attempting the journey and 2023. in the last decade, around 29000 people have died or disappeared. if you witnessed tragedies,

famous unfortunately, yes, we have to deal with this kind of situation. and that's not always easy. because sometimes you see also kids on the boards and it's not easy to lift them in the center of the see i'm just go home and do like everything is it's okay. you're always thinking about that and maybe the, the off, the, when you come at work a you, the 1st thing you do is checking well, what is the situation with the, with the boat that you left to the day before and have you witnessed like a drowning uh yeah, it happened, it happened obviously it's not easy about the you have to focus. so

to what you can do. no thoughts on what you cannot to do. and if i can save 10 lives, i need to work. on that day, the plane spent around 3 and a half hours in the air. alessandro asks about the 1st boat, the one that the pilots sighted shortly after the patrol began. do we have any information about it? no, not yet. okay. yeah, so we don't have any, just the magenta information. yes. these information. let's use the from on the 319 are, it hasn't been risk it from i tell him the cause of god. so this is the, brought to the time for yes. and now we consider this event close because they have been rescued

from text is facing a major challenge. on the one hand, it's supposed to prevent unregulated migration. well, rescuing and safeguarding the basic rights of people in distress, etc. but the number of unregulated entries is still high and people's basic rights hasn't always been upheld serious allegations as misconduct by the agency. do you have a patient you border protection agency front, texas working more closely with sketchy libyan coast guard officials than previously known. this is old enough to police of gold push backs are legal or but according to an international research studies and cds, you go to agency or from tech support. he's also involved to 8 or at least aware of some, still some confirmed yet in recent years, there has been multiple reports of front tech's being involved in human rights

violations. usually nobody at the agency would talk about how front x covered up their involvement. but we found someone who will say, i'm going to have some things out there for me. thank you. rear admiral kenneth. nina says he spent nearly 40 years in the swedish coast guard. he was also one of the officers responsible for sweden's international missions for several years. on several occasions, he even commanded swedish cruise operating on behalf of front techs to patrol the external e u border around greece. that was the case in 2020. so i was sleeping in the pitiless back in my hotel. and the end of the, quite early in the morning things around 5 o'clock, my phone rang and the captain from the swedish of patrolling boat

called me and said that they were an incident with the migrants. the crew he led, found a boat, etc. they took this photograph, according to a front ex investigative report, the boat was in greek territory, and therefore inside the, the front x crew contacted the greek coast guard, which arrived on the scene. the greek says they, we needed the for the north. and that we should go there as fast as possible. so the greeks sent front tex away a short time later, the front x crews seized on their instruments that the greek vessel and the migrants boat are moving towards turkish waters. later in a front ex, internal investigation, the greek coast guard claimed that the migrants evaded police efforts and steered into turkish waters on their own. but rear admiral nina's doesn't believe that. he

says what he saw broke the law. the problem is, it's a, it's not according to the human rights. uh, you should be able to have your case tested if you come to your p and country and it's all in this different operational pence. how we should act and what you the happened, and we can't, we can't do this actually, according to the lawson regulations. that is stated, the people in distress said c, must be rescued and sending back anyone already in a new territory before they can claim asylum is almost always the legal list is known as the full mall. and it's a direct violation of the geneva refugee convention of 1951. a regulation established after world war 2. around $900.00 jewish refugees fled nazi germany,

a board a ship called the st. louis. but many countries refused to take them. they were forced to return to europe. many of them were killed in the whole the cost the this principle is enshrined in international law with very few exceptions. one being when a border is breached by force. otherwise, refugees have a right to have their asylum claims reviewed. so from the captain and the crew, they weren't quite upset over this because they so what happened and it was quite far in the greek territory him so um and the other as classic push back to we could say any legal pushback would qualify as well for my name as wanted to report the incident, he went to the superiors that front tech's an a,

a immediately reactive, very negative to this information and started to say that it could be a problem for me if i did this and i said, okay, what kind of a problem we're talking about and then instead of kind of this will have some consequences for you. if you do this, immediately off to this, the, the boat that's we didn't have we 2 crews. they were sent to the other side of the keels. and then to petro, as most the night times, and it's much all the wind and waves on the other side, and absolutely no migrants. i think we all felt that it was a kind of a punishment. according to an internal investigation front, ex officials later dispute at the report. suppression for tenant and anus. the

incident, as a matter of principle, the all of this for my, for the v o is decreasing the safe depth. see, and we would never know that we should be there and try to help out and make sure that we have a controlled immigration and make sure that people are safe in them. yes, i think you should always stand up for what you think is right. and then i feel like if i don't do that, how should i look myself in the middle of the next day? what name is described has been common practice that front text for years. an internal report by the use anti fraud office. all last was published in various media outlets, backing him up. officials that all of say it's been proven that front text management committed, gross misconduct, and other irregularities. they also say that front x management obstructed its own border guards from fulfilling their own responsibilities, in particular,

to ensure their respect for fundamental rights. as in trying to in the charter of human rights. the we have an appointment with the main target of the heinous allegations. detailed in the report, the former head of front x habits, liberty has come with suitcases yet it's the end of april and election campaigning has just begun. here he comes after the allegations that police may show, he resigned. now he's running for a seat in the you parliament for francis far right. national rally party for the hello. hello. did you have a good trip? yeah, yes. i had a good trip. we're in pep in you. all right, is this the 1st day of campaigning in the region, w and ok?

lisa oakley was born in l size and grew up near the german border. the deputy mayor of pepin, you know, as picking him up. it's campaign time in the u. holes in many countries already show there's been a rise in support for the extreme right. especially in france and push through that . i'm really impressed that you can feel the momentum i believe differential ready. i've had one. i opened, it may be both size. now i'd say, all right, we're almost there. here in the south of france, the national riley already has the majority in many places in perry. now to surveys reveal that migration is one of the most important issues for many french folders. and it is the issue for the far right. pretty much everywhere. so long, horrible part as long as europe has no barricades against millions of illegal migrants,

germany must act on its own thoughts on that tundra, leaning close to a non regulated mass integrate sions worse and security in our country would be okay. now that's why we reject my son, mcglatian. they the new legal math integration, the. there was a return ticket and mass deportations for all illegal immigrants. 11 men think the former front tech's boss introduces himself to the party base. he visits the mayor of pear being you who is also a member of the national riley, the whole mr. leisure range on the face to me units missing of us. i could oh, thank you for the reception. welcome to pub in your my wife. hello. nice to meet you. other members of the national riley are here as well.

the welcome time, even though it is just your political role now allow you to share what you believe to be right. and what you couldn't say when you with the boss of from tex, cause a day or when your phone function. now, when i was an official, i had reservations and couldn't speak freely. i was ordered to enforce a political stance that was on rights to come with them on the to me. well, i certainly try to change that may turn the agency into what it is. the rhetoric is supposed to be that goals, a board and coast god outfits that supports e u. member states of concerning the quote, the vicar boy in the fall mom. and i admit, that's why i voted from my left hand in the 2022 presidential elections week of the course. i didn't say that when i was director of from texas. i liked all different things. we had a longer conversation with leisure of a. what did you say about you investigations alleging he concealed and collaborated

with greek authorities to commit human rights violations? the idea is how do you react to this accusation in civil it's 5000. francis a in february 2020 uh, recalls already is officially informed to me that greek national security was under threat not to not as the guide piece. and then if you have it's wrong with this. that's why i cooperated closely with the grateful scientists and could easily be heard and eng says i'm gonna get all i didn't do a laser lee is referring to one and then 2020 back. then the turkish president opened the borders to greece and thousands crossed over greece suspended new asylum applications for one month. and that's what's in after 12, if that's, have been arranged in agreement with us and it's okay. so it's being continued, say, forensics approved a new set together. okay, we'll send the people back as is i'll,

i'll answer all we didn't agree on all the details i'd be hung. do we agreed on the legal framework and the highest doesn't document interception was possible. move please visit with these 2 options along a little bit isn't and i will send back and divide the rest the order or into set them a note to find the people on the boat. you're not allowed to enter it and they sign the highest. liza he said that as front ex boss, t and the greek officials agreed to send migrants back, which denied them the opportunity to submit an asylum claim as a result, right on the open sea, the e o investigation indicates that the month long state of emergency in february 2020 wasn't the only time this happened. by the way, it's incomplete file. that's the, let's look at this specific case now, which we've seen time and it can increase the boats of discovered and they will. there are various reports throughout. these are legal push, bottom design,

so these people are being driven back. that's what happened. so then, well that's more like taking the lower into your own that and try to get it over to the vin. yeah. so i can get effects and the zip is one. so if we rescuing these people, that means we're bringing them back to work as a detailed and the nice and then it will page and maybe they'll stay in a europe and reception center in north africa lives wouldn't dot. we don't have that cases reviewed in system building the able visa. let's say the member states of the you will assess mindset whether these people really need protection. anderson. this is what's that they're interested during our conversation. so please place of the did not suggest the law should be broken. instead he proposed that asylum applications should be carried out at european conflicts abroad. that sounds good, but for years it's been clear that implementation isn't realistic. in april 2024

to non governmental organizations filed criminal complaints against police. felicia the the n g o is accused him of abetting crimes against humanity on account of his involvement in pushing back asylum seekers. it's not clear if the case will go to trial. according to the you anti fraud agency investigations have not led to any professional or criminal consequences. so far campaigning and basie are representatives from the national riley together with police. officials are holding a meeting during all these appearances, police leisure se accounts in a legend meeting with a commissioner ilia johansson in which he informed her of delays in arming from tex did month, the juniors on 5th, bunchy interrupted man, said, see that don't, don't worry, it doesn't matter if they're late to provide weapons and uniforms. doke for it. so it's all right. you don't need them hope to meet your said lives like your you to

say if it's good enough to do, your job is to collect the migrants and welcome terminal. europe is aging and we've got a plan to support the population. that is whether you like it or not, you've got to take them in, you don't need uniforms or firearms to do that because they coming out of luck. we don't know if this conversation really happened. a spokeswoman for the commissioner said their policy is not to comment on these kinds of statements. here . liza drops the narrative of the great replacement theory, classified by german constitutional experts. as a far right conspiracy during don't say could i have more input to keep? it's clearly an immigration policy meant to replace your opinions in their own territory. someone else doing well and to create a major 1st plan, but they don't get time to replace our culture. is that the only 3 d b luxury speed, you know, i wanted to say that, but i didn't take the full time is from tex director at the time and i told myself,

you know, keep your mouth, johnson, because otherwise there will be trouble is if i said the narrative that white people are being deliberately replaced by migrants is being spread by the extreme right around the world. but one asked lisa, as he denies pandering to far right, ideology, ah, i don't kind of you wow, that's 12 there are 7 weeks until the parliamentary elections because his policy line is front tech's director, wasn't successful. he now intends to push through where for more, politically when to the current front tech's director would consider that and then we go push back. if someone applies for an asylum claim, and it's rejected, isn't that because a lot is this all kind of ha, get this, put it, like i said, it's a question of political will. what additional the call certain aspects of the law can emphasize base. but political reasons between and i thought it would, i think what's missing now is the political will at the

e u level of the webinar. liza, he is essentially saying that there should be less emphasis on human rights. and the political will to make this change should begin at the e u level, which is what he is running for now. the finland is also taking a tougher approach. here the government wants to take things a step further. front tech's invited us to the finish. russian border. finland is in spotlight because the country shares a border with russia that is more than 1300 kilometers long. in december 2023, russia deliberately brought asylum seekers to the border. some were on bicycles. moscow was putting pressure on the using migration as a weapon, a practice referred to by the you as hybrid warfare. finland closed its borders.

since then crossing into the country here has been impossible. we are in the restricted area front, texas proud that it has deployed 50 troops to finland and just to few days on the visiting front x deputy director says that having front x on the border also sends a clear message. is this a managed? could that be honest, it's important to me that we show a european boda and so it can be secured with european forces. i have some custom because they shop about russia is just a few meters away. since the fins closed the border, everything here has been quiet. as a result of this, i made this a call that was the situation that the, since the foreclosure has been now in place, that the last since then we have not had such a creation flow at all. but in the end, what does that mean for your pin law and for the right to asylum finish problem and

has even passed the law that legalizes with a full month, even if someone requests asylum. the finish draft law openly states that this violates international law. the law and even its own constitution, the front texas image was in ruins after the laser, he era the new director promised to respect basic rights as soon as he was appointed. so i'm responsible for the fact that my people don't participate in anything called a push that sort of i think that that is absolutely clear and he's made a big promise. front tax will no longer take part in push backs and projects is going to change the

one year after this promise. the new boss reported success and since i mean office, obviously, you know, i repeat no reports on misbehavior from context. he emphasized that since he's been in this role, there have been no reports of misconduct. but is that true? the norwegian and g o. a jan boat report, shared several videos taken in early 2024. the children exist to attend today. this was good. let's have a great help. around 25 people. many of them women and children are

sitting in a black inflatable boat. they've encountered other boats and are calling for help. please. do you need your help? yes. we wanted to know what exactly happened here and who operated the to ship that the refugees were asking for help. we analyze the videos with help from experts at the research agency for ends as we cross checked them with geographic and weather data. according to our research, the 1st incident took place on february 19th, 2024. the people in the boat sent the norwegian and g o their location using a what's up message from greek, territorial waters, parenthesis check this again by conducting a visual comparison of the mountain ranges in the video with the real landscape. they were able to determine the location more precisely. everything indicated the

boat was in greek waters. the people on board had a right to claim asylum according to a handbook in our possession front. ext officials are also required to proactively inform the asylum seekers of their rights. but it looks like the people here were probably towed back into turkish waters. we don't have any videos to prove this. nevertheless, the inflatable boat later showed up on the same day and video is made by the turkish coast guard, apparently, with the same people on board. for example, this child is wearing a distinctive hat on the dinghy. then with the turkish coast guard, it's the same with this boy. first, he's on the migrant boat. then he's being rescued.

this man contacted the norwegian angio from the vote. we called his cell phone number journalist from the air d t v studio and is temple met him in an empty house. he is from afghanistan, and it's hiding with his wife and 3 children. the turkish authorities wanted to port him back to afghanistan. he doesn't want us to show his or his family spaces or to use his real name. catch him with his grades initial hold on. i gotta, i'm very afraid that i might be the only one day posted for a while. my family stays here for it. they're going to, going to now i wouldn't survive in afghanistan because in that no, no, no. we speak with him, his cousin and his wife. all 3 say they were forced back into turkish waters on that day in february 2024.

which i've developed mental health problems because of all the difficulties when we fled by boat, which is another situation on the water was horrifying. i was so shocked the children cried so much the end of it was terrible. that when asked, the greek government flatly denied carrying out illegal push backs. but there are numerous reports including from you in organizations indicating that greece has been carrying out violent push backs for years. and where did the 2 boats that initially intercepted them come from? on the larger boat, we see the number 5 to 4 parenthesis searched in greece and founded in march in a port in less pulse boats 5 to 4, bearing the flag of the bulgarian coast guard, paid for by the e. u, and working for front techs. we also see a small inflatable boat on the ship,

presumably the digging. it's also part of the bulgarian crew working for front techs the so front techs was there, and front tech's didn't bring the migrants to safety despite their cries for help. according to our research front techs also failed to report the incident we wanted to know what the new boss had to say. he had promised a fresh start. we showed hon. sleigh tens videos of this case. and another incident from january 25th, 2024. the 2nd case also involves

a full rubber vote on its way degrees. this time there is footage showing the legit pushed back the masked man chasing a boat full of migrants, threatening them with stick to the crab. grab his stick, the boat is flying, the you flag, the characters o s 800 are visible and abbreviation for the greek coast guard. the parenthesis was also able to identify the ship in the background. it belongs to the lab fee and coast guard, and his own emission for fred tex. this rubber boat was also later picked up in turkey and confirmed by local authorities. on sleigh tens told us from tex, takes these cases very seriously. the agencies fund of mental rights commissioner

has started an internal investigation. if front x was there, he said, that's a problem. if we are there, we are implicated or we are involved in a way even without doing something. because there's also a question, okay. could we should be present that it for example, so we have for if we have a risk responsibility, even if you're not the perpetrator, so it's either or the electric perpetrator ourselves. we have for this mission possibility because again, we audio p and border and corporate agency. we uphold european values. we pulled you up in law. i understand completely. i understand you that you want your offices to kind of step in if, if they see that the greeks are performing a fundamental rights violation, you want them to prevent that. this is possible. and again, let's be realistic. if you're 100 meters away. uh yes, you're coming to means of communication. i want them to do something indeed, not just sit back and relax because it's from another country do the things that the new director says that he wants his people to intervene. but apparently they

didn't with what is he doing about that? did you do anything concrete? the sensor took office to prevent this from happening because it's, this has nothing on the case. of course, those reports all the time about greek and coast guard performing push breaks. and so did, did you kind of tell them stop this? no, but yeah, i told them, but the thing is preventing it. i can't of because that's not realistic. what i can do is to build a common understanding, but even more than that common um, shared value that we in europe has to uphold european values. wells, protecting the borders it because it all stopped with protecting board and we have a junk responsibility. that means that feedback from, from outside is, is important. we have to acknowledge that to come under control. as with the member state, the member state is in charge of the operations. and member states won't allow

their sovereignty to be stripped. so front text doesn't have that much power on the border. and in case of doubt, they can be sent away. can front text actually change how migrants are treated at the border? a case from the summer of 2023 shows just how powerless front x actually is. this footage arrived at the operation center from a front text aircraft. july 13th, 2023. 9 47 am. a front tech's aircraft is filming this ship in the greek rescue. so the boat is crowded with nearly $750.00 people on board coast guard. the an internal front tax report that we obtained shows from tex, offered greek authorities support several times, but they did not respond. instead,

greek officials sent front techs away to handle another case. in the end, the boat sank, and at least $500.00 people died. the front x director told us the agency did not have any rescue workers on the water, and greece was in charge of the operation. now they're waiting for the results of the greek investigation. there are 2 trials underway in the maritime court in periods. but according to our research, there have never been consequences worked, push backs by the greek coast guard or police difference. when will lightens take action? we have to assess all these, let's say, contributions we deliver. and indeed, we have to deadlines, develop this with electric push backs, and at the end, i might arrive at the conclusion that there's not no longer incredible corporation possible and has not arrived at this point yet. but we have to assess his

frequency and all the time. so what does that all mean? has front techs changed the 2 cases. we researched show the new front tech's director, apparently cannot keep his promise. push backs are still happening. and front tech's seems to be involved but our interview with him shows that he is also calling for a new approach. and that's not easy to do when front x is the service provider. while countries like greece actually control the operations it's the day of the european elections. we are the national riley party in paris. the party emerges with decisive victories and from police nations. he becomes

a member of the parliament. the former front text official will now use his position in the parliament to put pressure on front tx of the politic uh, by the. so the politicians because they've been elected and they must assign to be disappointed, i will pull them in. we will have many political allies in the european parliament . that's the see, it looks like many governments in europe and want the same thing the slicing. what does that mean for the future? upfront tx, the current leadership has promised to offer more protection for basic human rights . but allowed far right movement in europe wants the opposite. these 2 visions will be difficult to reconcile the

take a deep breath. index hail, very slowly. that's how easy it is to do something good for your health. the breath and the loans supply us as oxygen. and the whole respiratory system can do more than you think. any good say in 30 minutes on this w. eco, india. the seat is swallowing up the beaches. erosion is increasingly affecting the east coast via pony cherry. the construction of that comma and the movement of water. now the hope lies on the coastal protection projects to restore, understand, eco,

india. in 90 minutes on the d, w. the risk to make this documentary smuggle the footage out of the country the they run inside to protest the view of the people slicing the, raising the prize. and why are they willing to risk avon faces of anger? march 19th on d, w. the

state of the and there's going to lie from prelim european union confronts what it calls a clear and present danger. and that's how the european commission president describes us shift towards prussia words aimed at freeing of millions of bureaus to rearm accounts necessary. they no longer be able to rely protection from washington. and also coming up in syria reports of dozens killed in clashes between government troops and forces loyal to our civil leaders by shaw stock. plus what started as a successful launch turned into another setback, freeland most space acts as it's starship rock, it explodes.