Protesters gathered in a Dorset seaside town as anti-migrant demonstrators faced off with police in Portsmouth. Dorset Police said it received a report of a protest in an area of Poole at 10.27pm on Sunday. The force said officers attended to ensure people could “exercise their right to protest legally and safely without causing significant or ongoing disruption”. It added no offences or disorder was reported, with the group dispersing by about 11:45pm.
Portsmouth unrest
It came as hundreds of people gathered in Portsmouth on Sunday night after a boat carrying around 140 migrants was brought ashore in Hampshire. Some vehicles were damaged and a handful of police officers were injured as tempers flared in the seaside city.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has launched an investigation into potential assaults and criminal damage following the unrest.
Dover protest
It came a day after crowds of around 200 masked men blocked road access to the Port of Dover on Saturday in a “stop the boats” protest. A Government spokesperson condemned the demonstrations as “intimidating and thuggish behaviour”. No arrests have been made.
On Monday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Government must stop the “politics of poison seeping into our streets” after the weekend’s protests.
Poole protest details
More than 100 people took part in the protest at Poole Quay on Sunday night, a source from the Poole Patriots group told the Bournemouth Echo. They told the newspaper people, including members of Bournemouth Patriots, had assembled to see whether migrant boats involved in the Portsmouth operation could also be rescued and taken to Poole.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, said claims asylum seekers were being taken to the town are “unfounded”.
In a statement on Monday morning, Dorset Police said it will “continue to monitor intelligence around protest activity” and “respond accordingly”. "As a force, we remain committed to ensuring people can exercise their right to protest legally but would urge those organising events to work with us so we can minimise any disruption to the wider public," it added. "We will seek to enable peaceful protests, but public order or criminal offences will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly."
