A 76-year-old man has been charged with concealing his identity at an anti-immigration protest in Portsmouth after police imposed restrictions on face coverings.
Timothy Miller, of Southampton, is accused of wearing or using an item to conceal his identity during Saturday’s demonstration. Hampshire Police said he had been seen wearing clothing styled as a niqab.
He is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday 14 September.
Anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters gathered in the city centre, with police separating opposing groups. Portsmouth Patriots was among the groups involved, with demonstrators chanting “Stop the boats”, while Stand Up To Racism protesters held signs including “RNLI are heroes, no-one is illegal”.
The police restrictions were introduced under powers in the Crime and Policing Act after masked men were involved in anti-immigration protests in Portsmouth and Dover the previous weekend.
Miller was allegedly protesting against the face-covering ban by wearing a garment styled as a niqab. He said: “I think that the face covering ban was all right until I saw antifa are allowed to cover their faces.”
He added: “I’m obviously concerned with immigration. I can understand the immigrants’ perspective but we can see that we’ve got war coming to our streets and we’ve got to stop this pressure on society.”
Two men and a teenage boy were arrested after hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered in Portsmouth. David Kenny McNally, 33, of Portsmouth, has since been charged with wilful obstruction of a highway and attempted criminal damage.
He is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 29 October. A 16-year-old boy from Waterlooville was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to public disorder at Eastney Marina on Sunday 6 September, and has been released on bail until 12 December.
Donna Jones, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, said most of Saturday’s protest had been peaceful and that demonstrators had complied with the face-covering restrictions.
“While some may think it was arbitrary to use the new power directing people to remove face coverings, the police ensured it was implemented equally and impartially for everyone involved,” she said.
She said the people of Portsmouth “deserve to go about their business without fear and disruption” and added that she would ensure the power was used proportionately for protesters on both sides.
The event followed disturbances at Eastney Marina the previous Sunday after a dinghy arrived across the English Channel. Hampshire Police said official vehicles were damaged and a small number of officers were injured, while about 200 people were dispersed early on Monday.
In Dover, crowds of masked men blocked road access to the port the previous Saturday, in scenes condemned by politicians from all parties.
