Burak Bir
07 September 2026•Update: 07 September 2026
A small number of police officers were injured and some vehicles were damaged during an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth, on England’s southern coast, police said Monday.
Protesters clashed with police after hundreds gathered following the arrival of a small boat carrying migrants, as the government condemned “thuggish” behavior.
Around 200 demonstrators who had gathered in Portsmouth were dispersed at about 4 am local time (0300GMT) on Monday, according to media reports, citing the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary police.
It added that an investigation is ongoing to “identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles, or other criminal offences.”
During a clash, a number of police officers were injured and some vehicles were damaged as 140 migrants were brought to shore in Hampshire, some 120 miles away from the usual landing point where migrants arrive in the UK on small boats.
While crimes were committed, “hundreds” were acting lawfully, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary Commissioner Donna Jones was quoted by the BBC as saying.
Separately, government data on Monday said that hundreds of migrants had arrived in the country on Sunday.
According to Home Office figures, 626 migrants in eight small boats crossed the English Channel to arrive in Britain.
Last week, the government announced that the number of small boats carrying migrants across the English Channel during the summer had fallen to its lowest level since 2019.
Some 16,400 migrants had crossed the channel as of this Aug. 28, down 43% from the same period in 2025 and 17% from the same point in 2024, according to reports.