A 42-year-old man has become the first of a number of people expected to be arrested as part of an investigation into violent disorder at an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth.
Hampshire Police said the man, from Paulsgrove, was arrested on Friday morning on suspicion of violent disorder and assaulting a police constable. He remains in custody.
Protest at Eastney Marina
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Eastney Marina on Sunday night after 120 people arrived in a boat that had crossed the English Channel. Several police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles were damaged, and a small number of officers were injured at the scene, Hampshire Police said. Around 200 people were dispersed at around 4am on Monday.
Footage review and further arrests
The force said detectives have been reviewing hundreds of hours' worth of footage from different sources to identify offences committed. So far, around 75 per cent of this footage has been viewed and assessed, police said.
Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson said on Friday: "This arrest is the first of what we fully anticipate to be a number of arrests as we identify those responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles, or other criminal offences committed on Sunday evening."
Police warning ahead of weekend protests
He said the events on Sunday evening were "clearly" not a peaceful protest and instead amounted to "violent public disorder", adding that police will "investigate incidents like this thoroughly and take robust action against those responsible".
Mr Rowlinson continued: "Our officers did not deserve to be assaulted as they worked incredibly diligently on Sunday to ensure the safety of everyone in the area. Neither do they, or anyone from our partner agencies, deserve to be singled out online or subjected to abuse via social media. We will work with our colleagues across policing to address any online threats that are made."
He added that the arrest sends a "clear warning" to anyone else intending to cause disorder at future events, as protests are set to go ahead in the port city this weekend. Groups from South Coast Patriots have called for a peaceful march in Portsmouth city centre on Saturday afternoon, while Stand up to Racism will host a counter-protest march.
