A Portsmouth local has delivered supplies to migrant protestors via canoe as they vow to stay at the marina 'all night'. Hundreds of protestors are staying put in Portsmouth vowing to prevent migrants who arrived in a small boat being taken to a processing centre in Kent.
Protestors block routes at Eastney Marina
The demonstrators are trying to block routes away from Eastney Marina and plan to stay all night. The dinghy, reported to be carrying some 140 migrants, sparked a major response as it headed towards the coast, with a helicopter, aeroplane and lifeboats sent to the scene.
More than 500 demonstrators joined the protest, with some dressed in all black – similar those who joined an anti-illegal migrant protest which blocked the Port of Dover on Saturday. Large crowds blocked traffic leading away from the port, with protestors also standing in an area where police can't get to them.
Local delivers supplies via canoe
Due to their positioning it also means they cannot access supplies, so a local has delivered the group supplies via a canoe. Videos shared online show the man pass over bags to the protestors with the caption: "A local from Portsmouth has arrived in a canoe to deliver supplies to Danny Tommo and his fellow patriots."
Livestreaming while standing in the sea at Eastney beach, Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – an associate of ring-wing activist Tommy Robinson – said: “Roads are all blocked, they are never going to be able to leave here.” He added: “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.”
Police and government respond
Hampshire Police urged people to avoid the area, and said a dispersal order was in place. Leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, Cllr George Madgwick, posted on X that “over 100 migrant men” had arrived on the Portsmouth shores on Sunday.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted: “This week Andy Burnham struck an agreement for 45 more officers on French beaches. Today a boat launched from Baie de Seine, 170 miles from Calais, arriving on the beaches of Hampshire for the very first time. This is a joke. Only Reform will send the boats back.”
Hampshire Police said: “This evening, we have been working alongside and assisting our partners from Border Force, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Portsmouth City Council at Eastney Marina following the arrival of a boat crossing the Channel. We have officers in the area to ensure the prevention of any disorder. We ask that people please avoid the area. A dispersal order is in place until tomorrow evening. Anyone who refuses to comply with the direction to leave the area is liable for arrest. We can also confirm that Border Force has advised us that individuals will be transported outside of Hampshire for processing in the normal way after they have been safely disembarked.”
The government has condemned the protests as branded it as 'thuggish behaviour'. 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.”
