Ministers condemn “thuggish” Portsmouth anti-migrant protest

A British minister condemned as “thuggish” the anti-migrant demonstration that blocked streets in Portsmouth late on Sunday, after a small boat carrying more than 100 people from France was brought ashore far west of the usual Channel route. By Monday evening the government had hardened that message in parliament, police were seeking to identify people involved in disorder, and officers confirmed they had used batons and pepper spray.

Ministers have condemned the "intimidating and thuggish" behaviour by masked demonstrators who blocked roads in Portsmouth in protest against the arrival of around 140 migrants.
The government said the right to peaceful protest was a fundamental part of democracy – but warned it… pic.twitter.com/bPGZRGHXEu
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) September 7, 2026

Hundreds of people gathered near Eastney after a dinghy that had left the Normandy coast was intercepted and taken into Hampshire. Estimates of those on board range from about 120 to 140. Demonstrators, some masked and in dark clothing, tried to stop coaches from taking the arrivals for processing, chanting “stop the boats” and blocking roads into the early hours of Monday. Hampshire Police said a small number of officers were injured and some vehicles damaged. A dispersal notice was used; the coaches eventually left. No arrests had been announced at first, but an investigation was under way.

The Portsmouth gathering was the second disruptive protest in two days. On Saturday, masked men disrupted traffic at Dover, also under the “stop the boats” slogan. Organisers and livestreamers linked to far-right networks, including activist Daniel Thomas (“Danny Tommo”), claimed a role. Ministers said some groups used encrypted apps such as Signal and Telegram to mobilise quickly.

Emma Reynolds, chief secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News the behaviour was “thuggish and intimidating” and “not peaceful protest.” She said the scale was unusual but that police had brought it under control. Later on Monday, policing minister Sarah Jones told the Commons the disorder was “intimidating and thuggish,” that officers had been forced to use batons and PAVA spray against aggression, and that anyone who crossed from protest into illegality would “face the full force of the law.” She also branded Patriot Platform, which claimed the Dover action, as “far-right racist.”

The landing itself matters as much as the crowd. Most small boats leave beaches near Calais and aim for the shorter crossing toward Kent, where reception capacity is concentrated. A long run from Cherbourg toward Portsmouth — roughly 75–80 miles — is a change of pattern. Local Conservative police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said Portsmouth was “not set up” to handle either the public-order burden or the processing of arrivals. Portsmouth City Council said the Home Office had “serious questions to answer” about bringing people ashore there. The government said those who arrived had been moved for processing “in the usual way.”

Reynolds said Channel arrivals from 1 January to 1 September were about 17,000, down 43 percent on the same period last year. Opposition politicians accepted that violence was wrong but argued the weekend was also a warning about public anger over illegal crossings. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said nothing excused violent or seriously disruptive protest, and that the scenes showed people were “genuinely angry” at the government’s failure to stop the boats. Earlier in September, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron announced extra police on French beaches; operations have long been focused on the Calais area.

A Portsmouth resident, Sue Dewey, 68, told reporters Prime Minister Burnham needed to “take note because people are unhappy,” arguing those coming from France were not fleeing persecution there. Migrant-rights groups say many are leaving poverty and conflict in parts of Africa and the Middle East, with some drawn to Britain by language and family ties.

The immediate test is operational and political at once: whether police can identify those who injured officers; whether a western landing becomes a new tactic for smugglers; and whether ministers can separate lawful protest from organised disruption without looking as if they are only managing the aftermath.

If reform win, these thugs will be patrolling the streets, checking your ID, your sexuality, your gender, your ethnic background all to decide if you’re entitled to be here or not.
We are on a precipice and we need to act. pic.twitter.com/sxb5a4e562
— Harry Eccles (@Heccles94) September 7, 2026