The British government on Monday condemned demonstrators who disrupted the arrival of migrants in Portsmouth, southern England, amid concerns that the area could become a new route for small boat crossings across the English Channel.
Thousands of asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in small boats in recent years, mostly between Calais in France and Dover in southeast England, where the two coasts are closest.
On Sunday, Britain’s coastguard rescued a boat carrying 140 people. French authorities said the vessel had departed from the Baie de Seine in Normandy, several hundred kilometres southwest of Calais.
Hundreds of protesters, many dressed in black and wearing face coverings, later disrupted the migrants’ disembarkation at Eastney Marina in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Police officers equipped with riot shields formed a security cordon around buses waiting to transport the migrants to a processing centre, while protesters blocked roads, according to footage shared on social media.
The migrants were eventually transported, officials said.
“We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw in Portsmouth last night,” a Home Office spokesperson said in a statement.
“The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy but it must never cross a line into disorder.”
The demonstration was the second major anti-migrant disturbance in southern England over the weekend. On Saturday, large groups of masked men blocked access to the Port of Dover for several hours.
Both protests were organised by Patriot Platform, a group founded by Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, who is an associate of far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Thomas filmed and livestreamed both demonstrations on social media.
Concerns Over New Route
Small boat arrivals in Hampshire are relatively uncommon.
“It is extremely concerning to see an illegal migrant crossing this far west,” local Conservative lawmaker Joe Robertson said on X.
“We need to know exactly what happened and if new routes are being used for mega-dinghies by people smugglers.”
Donna Jones, the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said Portsmouth was “not equipped to receive and process people entering the country this way.”
She urged the government to strengthen security along Britain’s southern coast, warning that the protest had placed additional pressure on resources, particularly the police.
Britain has struggled to curb dangerous small boat crossings, which have brought tens of thousands of asylum seekers to the southeast coast in recent years.
The issue has been a major focus for the right-wing Reform UK party, which made significant gains at the 2024 general election.
The Labour government says it is making progress in tackling irregular migration through cooperation with France and tighter asylum rules.
Home Office data showed that 16,513 irregular migrants had crossed the Channel since the start of the year, about 40 per cent fewer than during the same period in 2025.
However, authorities have reported an increase in the number of passengers travelling on individual boats in recent months.
Government figures show that the vast majority of migrants arriving in Britain continue to enter through legal routes.
