Police made 12 arrests for a range of offences including assaulting an officer following a protest in Gosport on Sunday night. Demonstrators had gathered in the town amid reports that authorities were preparing for the arrival of a boat.
Protesters clashed with police and flares were set off as cross-Channel migrants arrived in Hampshire on RNLI boats. A number of people were seen arriving at a marina in Gosport, having been transported aboard two RNLI boats.
Migrant boat arrival
The dinghy was being shadowed by French rescue vessels until it was met by the RNLI boats in English waters, according to ship tracking data. The Home Office said 149 migrants were believed to be on board.
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.”
“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.”
Police response
On Sunday, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it had deployed officers to Gosport to “support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea”. Ambulances and coaches were spotted in the area.
The force has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act as well as powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings. Demonstrators had assembled near Haslar Marina where the atmosphere was mostly peaceful, though there were reports of flares being set off and some scuffles with police.
There were similar scenes last month when protesters gathered in the area expecting migrants to arrive on a dinghy, but they were ultimately taken to Dover by sea.
Channel crossing deaths
Meanwhile, two men died and two women were injured in an attempt to cross the English Channel in a small boat overnight. French authorities said the men, one in his 30s and one in his 40s, died after leaving the coast at Berck.
The women were taken to hospital after suffering burns over a large part of their bodies, the authorities said. A spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said: “An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.”
“François-Xavier Lauch, Prefect of Pas-de-Calais, thanks all the services involved, particularly the firefighters, for their intervention and commitment during this operation.”
Recent crossings
Departures so far west have been rare in recent years, but it is the third such crossing in the space of a month. Last month, British rescue boats collected the passengers of a migrant dinghy which had spent around 30 hours at sea after setting off from Normandy.
The 51 migrants, who refused help from the French coastguard, arrived in Dover after being transferred to Border Security Command boats. It was expected the migrants would be taken to Gosport, with hundreds of protesters gathering after coaches and ambulances were spotted in the area. Six people were arrested by officers during the evening.
The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451. This is down 43% on this time last year and 23% below the figure at this stage in 2024.
