Anti-migrant protesters clashed with police in Gosport after 149 migrants were believed to have arrived on the Hampshire coast aboard a small boat from Normandy.
About 300 demonstrators gathered near Haslar Marina as the migrants were brought ashore at around 10.15pm on Sunday evening in two RNLI boats. Flares were set off and protesters shouted “send them back” and “you’re not welcome”.
The dinghy was spotted near Utah Beach in Normandy on Sunday morning as it headed towards Britain. French coastguard and rescue vessels were understood to have shadowed it during the crossing.
The Home Office said those on board would be taken by coach to Kent for processing.
Police impose public order conditions in Gosport
Scuffles broke out amid the protest, while police officers were seen holding pepper spray. A fight also appeared to break out as tensions rose between demonstrators and officers.
Officers placed nails on the road to prevent protesters from driving towards a barricade after one car appeared to move slowly in the direction of police.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it had deployed officers to Gosport to “support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea”. Ambulances and coaches were also seen in the area.
The force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act and used powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings.
One protester, who gave his name as Toby, said he had attended after seeing the demonstration on social media.
“There are a lot of people that take it too far, but how can you trust the police when they’re doing this?” said the 26-year-old chef, who lives nearby.
He added: “We’ve seen what they’re capable of. It’s affecting the whole country but Gosport is getting the worst of it.”
A protester using a megaphone accused officers of having made the landing possible, telling them: “You’ve enabled this now… Well done officers, well done, you’ve proved it’s possible to land in Gosport.”
Another demonstrator, named Dave, urged the crowd to push back against police. The construction worker said: “If we all did it, they wouldn’t be able to stop us. If it’s just me I’ll get nicked.”
He said he had worked all his life and paid tax “for it to go to people who have never lived or worked here”.
Small boat crossings from Normandy
George Madgwick, Reform UK’s leader in Hampshire, criticised the Government over the arrival in Portsmouth Harbour, describing it as “the Home of the Royal Navy”.
“This makes me feel physically sick. They wonder why local people are angry,” he said.
The crossing came days after another dinghy travelled from Normandy and eventually reached Dover after spending more than 30 hours at sea. The 51 people aboard had reportedly refused assistance from the French coastguard before British rescue vessels intervened.
That incident led to a major police operation in Gosport, during which six people were arrested. Three were later charged with offences including assaults on emergency workers.
Departures from further west along the French coast have been relatively unusual in recent years, but three such crossings have taken place within a month. The longer journeys can leave boats at sea for many hours and make their eventual landing point difficult to predict.
A Government spokesman said the Border Security Command was monitoring the Channel and that every small boat arrival needed to be detained, checked and processed.
