UK Government Condemns 'Thuggish' Anti-Migrant Protests After Unusual Channel Crossing

The protest came after approximately 140 migrants were rescued at sea and brought to the Hampshire coast by RNLI lifeboats—a significantly longer journey than typical crossings, which usually arrive in the Dover area. The vessel had launched from the Bay of Seine in Normandy and was shadowed for around 10 hours by French rescue boats before reaching UK waters .

Dramatic scenes unfolded at Eastney Marina on Sunday evening, with around 500 demonstrators gathering to block coaches intended to transport the migrants to a processing center at Manston in Kent . Video footage showed groups of masked protesters, many dressed in black, facing off against police carrying riot shields . Some protesters reportedly broke through police cordons and smashed police car windscreens .

The Portsmouth protest followed a similar demonstration in Dover on Saturday, where hundreds of masked men blocked roads leading to the UK's busiest ferry port, causing hours of disruption for travelers and freight traffic .

Both protests were linked to Daniel Thomas, a 37-year-old activist known as "Danny Tommo," who founded the Patriot Platform movement . Thomas, who previously served a two-year prison sentence for attempted kidnapping in 2016, has described his group as a "Christian patriotic army" committed to "mass resistance" against immigration .

Thomas livestreamed events in Portsmouth, encouraging supporters to join the protest and vowing to stay as long as necessary. He later claimed responsibility for the Dover action, posting on social media that "this is only the beginning" .

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" .

Local authorities criticized the government's handling of the operation. Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, said the city was "a completely unsuitable location" to bring migrants ashore and that the council had not been consulted . "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," he said .

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones warned that if Dover is no longer the primary arrival point for small boats, "this is a significant issue for the government," as other coastal communities are not equipped for such operations .

The coaches carrying the migrants were eventually able to leave Portsmouth in the early hours of Monday morning, with some protesters reportedly following the convoy along the motorway .

The government noted that small boat crossings have fallen to a seven-year low, with over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented since the election and the lowest number of June-to-August arrivals since 2020 . However, concerns remain that people-smugglers may be shifting routes further west along the English coast .