Twelve people have been arrested after a crowd of more than 300 anti-migrant protesters descended on Gosport on Sunday. A dispersal order is in place in the town until 7am on Tuesday, giving officers the power to require a person to leave the area and not return within a specified time period. Police said those who refuse to comply with the order are committing a criminal offence and are liable for arrest.
Rescue operation brings 149 migrants ashore
The Home Office said 149 people had been picked up during a mid-Channel rescue operation involving the RNLI and a French vessel before being brought ashore in Gosport. They were later transported by coach to a processing centre in Kent. Five people were issued with dispersal notices.
The situation became increasingly tense during the evening, with flares reportedly being set off and clashes breaking out between some demonstrators and police. A police cordon was in place on Haslar Road in Gosport. Some demonstrators stood in front of police vans to prevent them from advancing, with some shouting things like "deport the lot" and "shame on you."
Legal powers used and injuries reported
Officers used several legal powers during the operation, including Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to impose conditions on assemblies, and Sections 158 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 and 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to prohibit the use of face coverings to conceal identity. Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 was also used to disperse people from the area and prevent them from returning for a specified period.
Police said a crowd of around 350 people that gathered dispersed by 2am this morning after the agencies that attended safely disembarked individuals and transported them outside of Hampshire for processing. A small number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries, but no one in attendance from any agency or the public was seriously injured. One person suffering from chest pains was assisted by police officers before the South Central Ambulance Service provided treatment.
Social media criticism and police response
The town was described as "locked down" as police imposed several restrictions ahead of the migrants' arrival. One X (formerly Twitter) user with the username WasAcop claimed: "We are now in a place where a whole town gets locked down by the Government for a boat that has not arrived. Gosport. Haslar Bridge shut. Coaches at Fort Blockhouse. Masks banned."
A separate post by New York politician Vickie Paladino described the situation as "martial law" and claimed residents were being restricted to accommodate migrants. She claimed: "To be clear, the UK government is locking its own citizens in their homes in order to accommodate an incoming horde of illegals. The fear is that the citizens will protest the migrant landing, so the solution is to lock them down under threat of imprisonment."
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Dodds said: "Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest. Our position on this has been clear: we will investigate thoroughly and take robust action against anyone responsible."
He added: "Last night saw a number of incidents that were clearly not peaceful protest, rather violent public disorder, and this will not be tolerated as we work to keep our wider communities in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight safe."
Figures from the UK Home Office have recorded 19,451 people crossing the Channel in small boats this year. That figure is 43% lower than at the same point last year and 23% lower than the same period in 2024.
