Dozens of anti-migrant demonstrators waded into the sea at Portsmouth on Sunday to protest the arrival of 140 asylum seekers who had been rescued from a large dinghy and brought ashore. The protesters chanted "stop the boats" and "enough is enough" as they sprinted across Eastney Beach and entered the Solent.
This demonstration followed a similar protest in Dover two days prior. Hundreds gathered on the Hampshire coastline, with some entering the water approximately four miles from Portsmouth's Royal Navy base to demand the asylum seekers be returned to France. The dinghy had departed from Normandy, suggesting an expansion of departure points by people smugglers to evade enforcement efforts along the French coast.
The French coastguard had reportedly shadowed the vessel for ten hours, citing safety concerns due to the number of people on board. British lifeboats, supported by air assets, then took over and transported the asylum seekers to the UK.
Following online calls to action, hundreds of demonstrators converged on Portsmouth, intending to prevent the migrants from being transported to a processing center in Kent. The protesters remained on the beach and in the water for at least five hours, attempting to disrupt the disembarkation. The crowd, which grew to over 500 people, later attempted to block the only road leading out of the area to stop coaches carrying the migrants. This led to confrontations with police, who deployed riot officers.
The demonstration continued until approximately 3 a.m. on Monday, at which point police imposed a dispersal order and threatened arrests. Video footage shared on social media appeared to show a riot officer being pushed from a motorbike, and demonstrators shouting at officers. Other clips depicted officers using shields to push protesters away from a police van.
The protest is believed to have been organized by Daniel Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson, who leads the Patriot Platform group. Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, was seen livestreaming the event and urging supporters to join him.
In contrast to a protest in Dover earlier in the week, many demonstrators in Portsmouth did not wear masks or balaclavas, although many were dressed in black. The dinghy's departure point from the Bay of Seine, roughly 170 miles from Calais, is considered unusual.
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that HM Coastguard, Border Force, Hampshire Police, and the South Central Ambulance Service responded to the report of the small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast. The asylum seekers were safely disembarked and were to be transported outside of Hampshire for processing.
Political reactions to the events included statements from Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who criticized the French authorities' actions and described the situation as leaving the UK border open. Emma Reynolds, Treasury Chief Secretary, condemned the protesters' behavior as "thuggish and intimidating" but thanked the emergency services for their response. Hampshire's police and crime commissioner, Donna Jones, expressed concern that this incident could signal a shift in migrant destinations along the south coast and indicated that additional police resources were required from other forces. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage commented on the unusual departure point of the boat and stated his party's policy to "send the boats back."