Hundreds of far-right activists have descended on Portsmouth, where a small boat with 140 asylum seekers on board was intercepted heading towards the Portsmouth coast. The vessel’s arrival sparked a major response with a helicopter, an aeroplane and lifeboats sent to the scene.
It is thought to be the first time such a large boat containing asylum seekers has been brought to Portsmouth and the first time a large group of anti-migrant protesters have tried to block newly arrived asylum seekers from being processed.
The protesters blocked roads for hours and had vowed to stay all night to prevent the new arrivals from being taken to a processing centre. The demonstration ended about 3am, when police obtained a dispersal order and threatened arrests.
It is the second major anti-migrant protest of the weekend. Many of those at Portsmouth were dressed in all black and wore face masks, similar to those who attended a rally that blocked roads in Dover on Saturday.
One witness who was not involved in the protest said on Sunday night: “The atmosphere here is still very tense. The coaches carrying asylum seekers have still not left. About 25-30% of the far-right protesters are wearing balaclavas and many are wearing black. Two police cars had their windscreens smashed by protesters. At one point they broke through the police cordon.”
The boat’s occupants were brought to shore in the maritime city and the Home Office’s plan was to take them to Manston, outside Ramsgate in Kent, where small boat arrivals are processed.
However, videos circulating on social media showed large groups of protesters close to the coaches that were to be used, with some blocking vehicles carrying asylum seekers from leaving.
Late on Sunday, Hampshire police had urged people to avoid the area, and said a dispersal order was in place.
The government has condemned what it described as the “thuggish behaviour” of the protesters. “We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight,” a government spokesperson said. “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.”
In a livestream from the scene, Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo – a former bodyguard of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – encouraged viewers to travel to Portsmouth to join the protest.
Thomas has recently established Patriot Platform which blocked part of port of Dover on Saturday. He previously launched Operation Overlord which planned to send far-right activists to France to “stop the boats”. He and his supporters filmed themselves slashing abandoned dinghies on a French beach. The french authorities subsequently banned him from France.
Small boat crossings so far this year have reduced by more than 40% compared with the same period last year. While the Home Office has disrupted the smugglers’ business model, their methods appear to have evolved by launching boats such as the one that arrived on Sunday evening from different parts of the coast, much further from the UK, making the crossings more dangerous.
Most small boat arrivals are rescued by Border Force and RNLI boats on the English side of the Channel and brought ashore in Dover.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was alerted on Sunday to a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast. The coastguard sent lifeboats, a helicopter, an aeroplane and rescue teams to the area, a spokesperson said. “Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire police and south central ambulance service were also sent,” they said.
Saturday’s Port of Dover rally was criticised by politicians from all parties, with questions expected to be raised on Monday about whether Kent police were prepared for it. There could be similar criticism of Hampshire police.
The Dover demonstrations brought traffic on routes to the UK’s busiest international ferry and passenger port to a halt, delaying some ferry services and blocking major roads, but there were no arrests.
The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, criticised the demonstrations, which saw protesters march through Dover chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” and “Stop the boats”.
Reynolds told Sky News he condemned the behaviour and the disruption it caused, adding: “Peaceful protest – essential part of British life, but that’s not dressing up in costumes like this and disrupting people’s lives.”
On Sunday night, 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.”
