Far-right activists protest asylum seeker arrival in Portsmouth as government condemns 'thuggish behaviour'

Hundreds of far-right activists have descended on Portsmouth, where a small boat with 140 asylum seekers on board was intercepted heading towards the Portsmouth coast. It sparked a major response with a helicopter, an aeroplane and lifeboats sent to the scene. It is thought to be the first time such a large boat containing asylum seekers has been brought to Portsmouth and the first time a large group of anti-migrant protesters have tried to block newly arrived asylum seekers from being processed.

The boat’s occupants have been brought to shore in the maritime city and the Home Office’s plan is to take them to Manston, outside Ramsgate in Kent, where small boat arrivals are processed.

Videos circulating on social media show large groups of protesters close to where coaches of newly arrived asylum seekers are parked. The protesters in Portsmouth were blocking the coaches carrying asylum seekers from leaving.

Hampshire police urged people to avoid the area, and said a dispersal order was in place.

The government has condemned what it described as the “thuggish behaviour” of the protesters. “We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight,” a government spokesperson said. “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.”

In a livestream from the scene, Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo – a former bodyguard of the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – encouraged viewers to travel to Portsmouth to join the protest.

Thomas has recently established Patriot Platform which blocked part of port of Dover on Saturday. He previously launched Operation Overlord which planned to send far-right activists to France to “stop the boats”. He and his supporters filmed themselves slashing abandoned dinghies on a French beach. The french authorities subsequently banned him from France.

Small boat crossings so far this year have reduced by more than 40% compared with the same period last year. While the Home Office has disrupted the smugglers’ business model, their methods appear to have evolved by launching boats such as the one that arrived on Sunday evening from different parts of the coast, much further from the UK, making the crossings more dangerous.

Most small boat arrivals are rescued by Border Force and RNLI boats on the English side of the Channel and brought ashore in Dover.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: “In response to a report on 6 September of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams.

“Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire police and south central ambulance service were also sent.”

Stand Up To Racism posted on X: “another attempt by fascist Danny Tommo to whip up pogroms against refugees.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election.

“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.

“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”