Right-wing protesters block Portsmouth harbor after arrival of boat migrants

Portsmouth. After the arrival of dozens of rescued boat migrants in the southern English port city of Portsmouth on the English Channel, there were confrontations between right-wing demonstrators and the police. According to a report by the British news agency PA, hundreds of people, some of them masked, blocked the access routes to the port for hours during the night.

Officials in protective equipment tried to push back the crowd and protect several coaches that were ready to transport the migrants. As could be seen on footage from British news channels, there were sometimes scuffles between the demonstrators and the emergency services. Several officers were injured, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police later announced. In addition, government vehicles are said to have been damaged, among other things. There were initially no arrests. However, the police launched an investigation.

According to PA, a government spokesman described the behavior of anti-migrants as threatening and aggressive. He added: “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but one must never cross the line into rioting.” Rescue workers had previously rescued migrants from a small boat off the coast in a large-scale operation and brought them to Portsmouth. According to reports, there were more than 140 people on the boat.

The arrival of boat migrants in Portsmouth is unusual. The distance that has to be covered from the French coast across the English Channel is significantly longer than to Dover, which most migrants head for. A large group of masked and black-clad migration opponents had already gathered at the Dover ferry port on Saturday and paralyzed traffic for hours.