Ministers condemn far-right unrest targeting asylum seeker transport in Portsmouth
Hundreds of activists reportedly blocked roads and tried to stop asylum seekers being taken for processing after a boat arrived near Portsmouth.
Ministers have condemned what they called “thuggish and intimidating behaviour” by far-right activists who blocked roads in Portsmouth after a boat carrying asylum seekers arrived in the area.
Hundreds of men, some dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, reportedly attempted to stop the asylum seekers being transported for processing until about 3am. Police threatened arrests before removing the crowd. A witness said two police car windscreens were smashed, though it was unclear whether arrests were made.
The Home Office said everyone who arrived on the boat had left the area and was being transported for processing. Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, Donna Jones, said the boat carried about 140 people and entered the Solent after departing near Cherbourg.
Daniel Thomas, who uses the name Danny Tommo on social media, was reported to have encouraged people to travel to Portsmouth for the protest. The Guardian reported that Thomas is linked to Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and had also been involved in mobilisation around a similar protest in Dover two days earlier.
Emma Reynolds, chief secretary to the Treasury, said she supported peaceful protest but that the Portsmouth events had crossed the line. Jones described the activists as “largely peaceful”, while expressing concern that Portsmouth could become a destination for people arriving by boat.
Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said the protests appeared to point to an intelligence failure and warned that such scenes were creating fear among migrants and people of colour. Small-boat arrivals this year have reportedly fallen by more than 40 per cent compared with the same period last year.
