Six people were arrested in Gosport last night after anti-migrant protesters clashed with police following the arrival of a migrant boat carrying up to 149 people. Protesters gathered near Haslar Marina amid rumours that a small boat carrying migrants was due to land in the area on Sunday evening (October 4).
MP criticises Home Office response
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage, a Conservative, criticised the Home Office earlier on Sunday, saying she had received “no reply or meaningful information” on how the government planned to deal with the migrants. In a statement, she said: “Gosport is not a safe or suitable location to disembark small boats. 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.”
Arrival and processing
The Home Office has since confirmed that up to 149 migrants arrived in the UK after their dinghy was followed by French rescue vessels from Normandy. The boat was brought in by two RNLI boats to the south coast. Four coaches were spotted taking the migrants away from Portsmouth Harbour, and the Home Office has confirmed they will be processed in Kent.
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.” The spokesperson 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.”
Protest and context
Sunday’s demonstration came as Hampshire Police implemented a dispersal order around the marina and a ban on face coverings across Gosport. Last month, 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. 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.
The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451, down 43 percent on this time last year and 23 percent below the figure at this stage in 2024.
