Around 300 people took part in an anti-immigration protest in Gosport, Hampshire, on Sunday night, as nearly 150 migrants arrived in the seaside town. Protesters held signs reading "stop the boats" and chanted "send them back", leading to six arrests by police.
The demonstration took place near Haslar Marina amid rumours that a small boat carrying migrants was due to land in the area. The protest followed a growing number of migrants using the town as a landing spot, as crowded dinghies take longer and riskier routes across the English Channel.
Locals describe scenes of disorder
Locals have dubbed the protesters the "black balaclava brigade" and described the mess left behind on the streets after such protests. One 70-year-old local told The Sun that the area used to be "lovely", but now people don't feel safe. "I think the protests are good, but they get out of hand – both the police and protesters," she said.
She continued: "There were roadblocks and a portaloo – they pushed it over for a barricade. There were faeces and chemicals leaking out onto the street – but where were they when it came to clean up the next day?"
"It's getting beyond a joke, and we're all fed up with it here. The black balaclava brigade might come to smash my windows and I don't want that." She said the protestors are all "drinking beer cans" and that people "don't get trollied to peacefully protest". An elderly couple reported broken glass on the streets and a tipped-over portaloo.
MP criticises Home Office response
Gosport MP, Conservative Caroline Dinenage, criticised the Home Office and said she received "no meaningful information" when she asked how the government planned to deal with the migrants. "Gosport is not a safe or suitable location to disembark small boats," she said in a statement. "Our transport network is extremely constrained, we have no acute hospital, and our emergency services are already under pressure."
She added: "I contacted the Home Office Minister directly at around 1pm today and, incredibly, I have still had no reply or meaningful information about where this boat is going."
Police powers and government response
On Sunday, Hampshire Police implemented a dispersal order around the marina and a ban on face coverings across Gosport. A similar protest took place when British rescue boats collected the passengers of a migrant dinghy, which had spent around 30 hours at sea after setting off from Normandy.
A government spokesperson said: "The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border. We have established contingency plans to make sure we can securely disembark, check and process all small boat arrivals." They added: "Migrants will be transported to short-term holding facilities in Kent, where they will be processed as normal and undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks."
The increase in arrivals at Gosport has spurred plans for both an immigration removal centre and an immigration processing centre. The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451, marking a 43% decrease compared to this time last year and 23% decrease from the figure at this stage in 2024.
