Riot police were deployed in Portsmouth on Sunday night as hundreds of demonstrators gathered to oppose the arrival of a small vessel believed to be carrying asylum seekers. The single dinghy is understood to have been transporting 140 migrants who were rescued in the English Channel.
Rescue and protest details
Those aboard the inflatable craft set off from the Normandy coast overnight before encountering difficulties in UK waters. The French coastguard confirmed they were collected by two RNLI lifeboats after requesting assistance.
Demonstrators assembled in the coastal city attempting to prevent those on board from being taken to Kent for processing as new arrivals. Hundreds of locals gathered outside Portsmouth port and were not allowing any coaches carrying migrants to leave.
Organiser's statements and police response
The large crowds were headed by Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo. Speaking on a livestream while standing in the water at Eastney beach, the associate of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson said: "Roads are all blocked, they are never going to be able to leave here."
He continued: "It was only yesterday (at the protests in Dover) when we warned them that we will not accept this any more, and that this is no longer an option to tell us that the boat numbers are down. This isn't about the numbers being down... this is about understanding that this has to come to an end now."
Despite demonstrators' pledge to stay in position 'all night', police issued a Section 14 order at approximately 3am on Monday, which resulted in protestors dispersing. Footage shared online shows riot police equipped with protective shields confronting the demonstrators.
Official reactions
Early on Monday morning, a government spokesperson said: "We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder. We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation."
Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East, Joe Robertson, posted: "Extremely concerning to see an illegal migrant crossing this far west. We don't know if this migrant boat was headed for the Isle of Wight but I'll be contacting the Home Office first thing. We need to know exactly what happened and if new routes are being used for mega-dinghies by people smugglers."
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: "In response to a report on September 6 of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams. Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire Police and South Central Ambulance Service were also sent."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "This Government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election. We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."
