UK condemns anti-immigration protesters over Portsmouth migrant landing disorder

Anti-immigration protesters clashed with police at Portsmouth port as migrants came ashore. The government said the disorder crossed the line from protest as officials highlighted fewer Channel crossings.

In Short

• Hundreds in masks tried stopping lifeboats and buses carrying new arrivals
• Road blockades at Dover disrupted travellers and freight heading towards France
• Daniel Thomas, linked to Tommy Robinson, appeared to lead both groups

The British government on Monday condemned what it called the "intimidating and thuggish behaviour" of anti-immigration demonstrators who gathered at a port in southern England where migrants were brought ashore after crossing the English Channel.

Hundreds of protesters, many in dark clothing and masks, faced off with police in Portsmouth late on Sunday as they tried to stop lifeboats from bringing migrants to land. They later attempted to block buses carrying the new arrivals to a processing facility for asylum seekers.

In a statement, the government said: "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder." The Portsmouth protest came a day after hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to Dover, Britain’s busiest ferry port, disrupting travellers and cargo vehicles heading to France.

Both groups appeared to be led by Daniel Thomas, an ally of veteran far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson. Successive UK governments have struggled to stop people making the dangerous journey across the Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. More than 40,000 people made the crossing last year. Politicians including Nigel Farage of the hard-right Reform UK have described the issue as a crisis, and it has also become a rallying point for anti-immigration activists.

The government said increased law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France had helped reduce the number of people making the crossing so far this year by more than 40 per cent compared with 2025. The boat that brought about 140 people to Portsmouth had left early on Sunday from Normandy, far west of the beaches near Calais from where most departures have taken place, making it a much longer and riskier journey. A spokesperson for Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said lifeboats, a coastguard helicopter and a plane were involved in bringing the migrants ashore.

The protests in Portsmouth and Dover came as the government renewed its criticism of disorder around migrant arrivals, while officials pointed to a fall in Channel crossings this year and the risks involved in the longer route taken by the boat that reached Portsmouth.

With PTI Inputs

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