Anti-immigration protesters and counter-demonstrators confronted one another in Portsmouth on Saturday as demonstrations targeting Britain’s small-boat migration policies continued along England’s southern coast.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Tensions surrounding illegal migration and small-boat crossings escalated again in southern England on Saturday as anti-immigration demonstrators confronted counter-protesters in Portsmouth, with police intervening after groups broke away from competing rallies and moved through the city.
The Sept. 12 demonstration followed days of protests targeting ports along England’s south coast, including activity in Dover and Portsmouth, where participants have demanded that the Labour government take stronger action against migrants arriving in Britain by small boats.
In Portsmouth, anti-immigration protesters gathered near the Guildhall while a rival demonstration organized by Stand Up to Racism assembled nearby. The opposing groups spent hours chanting before the counter-protest began leaving the area and some anti-immigration demonstrators followed them through city streets.
Footage circulating from Portsmouth showed confrontations involving protesters and police as officers attempted to keep the rival groups apart. Additional video of the clashes documented the disorder.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary had warned before the demonstrations that people taking part while concealing their faces could face arrest under powers available to officers.
No participants at either rally were reported to have been wearing masks Saturday.
Sky News reported that the demonstrations remained concentrated around the Guildhall for several hours before the situation changed as the counter-protest dispersed.
“People were not wearing masks at either rally on Saturday after Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said anyone defying the warning could be arrested under powers in the Crime and Policing Act.
“Sky’s Dan Whitehead, reporting from the scene, said both groups gathered outside the Guildhall in the city ‘chanting for a couple of hours’.
“‘The counter-protest, led by Stand Up to Racism, left… and what happened then is around 100 or so of the anti-migration protest splintered off and essentially chased them through the streets in Portsmouth’.”
The Portsmouth gathering was part of a wider series of demonstrations that have increasingly focused on ports and coastal communities connected to the government’s handling of migrants arriving across the English Channel.
Protesters in Portsmouth carried Union flags and St. George’s flags while repeatedly chanting “stop the boats.” Some participants also carried flags bearing the message “Jesus is King.”
Counter-demonstrators displayed signs including “Hate has no place in Pompey” and “Stop the far right.”
LBC reported that the Portsmouth action followed a Sept. 5 protest in Dover in which hundreds of masked anti-immigration demonstrators gathered, clashed with police and caused delays to shipping.
“Reports from the scene include a man with a megaphone addressing the anti-migration protest with the crowd chanting ‘stop the boats’, Union flags, St George’s flags and a couple of other flags reading ‘Jesus is King’.
“Counter-protesters appear to be holding signs that state: ‘Hate has no place in Pompey’ and ‘Stop the far right’.
“[…] It comes after hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters amassed on the streets in Dover on September 5, clashing with police and delaying ship departures from the port. Since that initial march, there have been ongoing demonstrations in the region targeted at small boat crossings.
“[…] No protestors in Portsmouth have been reported to be wearing masks. Hampshire police said that anyone taking part in protests wearing a face covering could be arrested ahead of the weekend.”
The demonstrations reflect continued public pressure over small-boat migration, an issue that has remained politically contentious as the Labour government attempts to reduce unauthorized Channel crossings while managing arrivals already reaching the British coast.
Ports have increasingly become a focus for protesters because they serve as highly visible points associated with Channel traffic and the broader migration system.
The latest confrontation in Portsmouth showed that the demonstrations are also drawing organized opposition from anti-racism groups, creating situations in which police must manage rival crowds with sharply different views on immigration.
Saturday’s disorder developed after the organized rallies had spent much of the day in separate groups. The departure of the Stand Up to Racism contingent was followed by roughly 100 anti-immigration demonstrators breaking away and pursuing counter-protesters through Portsmouth, according to reporting from the scene.
The confrontation came one week after the Dover demonstration disrupted port operations and involved clashes with police, extending a series of protests along England’s southern coastline centered on the government’s response to small-boat arrivals.
With immigration continuing to generate demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, Portsmouth became the latest city where public opposition to Britain’s migration policies spilled from a planned rally into direct confrontations between rival groups and police.
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