Demonstrators tried to block suspected migrants from being taken to a processing centre in Kent
A home office vehicle with a cracked window on Eastney beachAuthor: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 57 minutes ago
Hampshire Police have said a “small number of officers” were injured during clashes with protesters on a beach in Portsmouth last night.
Around 200 demonstrators, mostly dressed in black, arrived at Eastney Marina late on Sunday (06 August), where they met a ship carrying suspected migrants.
Livestreaming while standing in the sea, Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – an associate of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson – said: “Roads are all blocked, they are never going to be able to leave here.”
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said: “A number of police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles were damaged during the standoff and a handful of police officers were treated at the scene for injuries, none of which were serious.
“Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest,” the force said in a statement.
“No arrests have been made at this time, however an investigation to identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles or other criminal offences has been launched.
“We can also confirm that Border Force has advised us that individuals from the boat have been transported outside of Hampshire for processing as part of the normal process after they were safely disembarked.”
Council hits out at Government over Channel crossings
A decision to allow life boats carrying hundreds of migrants to dock in Portsmouth, where widespread protests ensued, “put people at risk” and caused “needless disruption”, the city’s council leader said.
Council leader Steve Pitt said the Home Office has “serious questions to answer” after an “unsuitable” location was chosen to disembark the RNLI boats carrying the 140 or so migrants on Sunday.
Mr Pitt said the council were not asked about the decision to allow the lifeboats to land in Portsmouth, which he described as a “completely unsuitable location”.
“The Government needs to take more action to prevent small boat crossings,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“Clearly people are not happy with the situation and we respect everyone’s right to protest but it should be done peacefully and within the law.
“We are pleased the coaches were eventually able to leave Portsmouth early this morning to take people outside of Hampshire for processing in the normal way.
“The council wasn’t asked about the decision to land the lifeboats in Portsmouth. This was entirely a decision taken by UK Border Force, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Home Office. It was a completely unsuitable location to bring the boats ashore, this entire situation was avoidable and has brought needless disruption to our city.
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their professionalism under very challenging circumstances. However, the Home Office has some serious questions to answer about their lack of planning, inconsistent decision-making and ultimately, poor judgment. They put people at risk. This cannot happen again.”
Government describes protesters as “thuggish”
The dinghy was met by lifeboats from the Isle of Wight when it reached UK waters, having set off from the Cherbourg area.
It is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat, and landings as far west as Hampshire are rare.
But officials believe it was a one-off rather than a sign of new tactics.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw in Portsmouth last night.
“The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder. We thank the emergency services who safely managed this situation.
“This Government is doing the hard and necessary work of bearing down on small boats crossings, with the lowest number of June to August arrivals since 2020.”
Large crowds of masked, black-clad men blocked road access to the Port of Dover on Saturday, in scenes which have been condemned by politicians.
The Port of Dover rally was criticised by politicians from all parties, with questions expected to be raised on Monday over whether Kent Police were prepared for it, and there could be similar criticism of Hampshire Police.
The 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.