Protesters Clash With Police After 140 Migrants Land in Portsmouth
Police used dispersal orders after hundreds blocked roads and tried to stop coaches carrying about 140 migrants to a Kent processing centre.
- On Sunday, 140 migrants arrived at Eastney Marina in Portsmouth after being rescued from a dinghy that departed from Normandy, prompting masked protesters to block access roads and prevent coaches from transporting them for processing.
- Patriot Platform, led by Daniel Thomas, organized the blockade following a similar demonstration on Saturday at the Port of Dover, where masked protesters disrupted ferry traffic in both directions.
- Hampshire Police deployed officers with riot shields to form protective cordons around the coaches. A Section 14 dispersal order issued at 3 a.m. Monday cleared the area, prompting investigations into assaults on officers and criminal damage to vehicles.
- Treasury Chief Secretary Emma Reynolds condemned the behavior as "thuggish and intimidating," while Portsmouth City Council leader Steve Pitt criticized the landing site as "completely unsuitable location," citing operational strain.
- Smugglers appear to be shifting operations toward Normandy, 170 miles from Calais, to evade tighter enforcement around traditional launch points. Conservative MP Joe Robertson demanded clarity on whether new routes are being exploited by people smugglers.
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Hundreds of protesters gather in Portsmouth after small boat arrival - as 'thuggish' behaviour condemned
A "substantial crowd" of demonstrators gathered chanting "stop the boats" and "send them back", with items thrown at police, Sky correspondent Barnaby Papadopoulos says. Watch his report from the scene below.
In Portsmouth, in southern England, demonstrators have sometimes forcibly tried to prevent refugees from travelling on. They complain of an "invasion" of migrants on the coasts - although their number is falling. By F. Hoppen.
On Monday the British government classified the hundreds of hooded activists who blocked roads to prevent 140 asylum seekers from entering the port city of Portsmouth in the south of the United Kingdom after arriving in a small boat. Sunday night protest was the second anti-migrant demonstration of the weekend, after groups also blocked access to the port of Dover in the southeast on Saturday.
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