What sparked the far-right protest in Portsmouth – and how was this small boat crossing different?

Hundreds of far-right demonstrators descended on Portsmouth on the weekend after a huge dinghy carrying 140 migrants reached the UK from Normandy.

The arrival of the small boat led to a major response, with lifeboats, a helicopter and a plane all sent to the scene.

The migrants are believed to have disembarked near Eastney in Portsmouth, and were being taken to Manston immigration centre in Kent for processing.

Demonstrators blocked roads before the protest came to an end when police obtained a dispersal order and threatened to make arrests.

But what sparked the protest and why was this Channel crossing different?

What was the anti-migrant protest about?

Demonstrators blocked roads for hours on Sunday when the boat arrived and vowed to stay all night.

The aim was to stop the new arrivals from being taken to a processing centre.

Video footage showed protesters facing up to police and shouting “stop the boats” on Sunday evening, with some blocking vehicles carrying asylum seekers from leaving.

Far-right agitator Daniel Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson, was live-streaming from a beach in Eastney and encouraged his supporters: “Roads are all blocked, they are never going to be able to leave here.”

He added: “It was only yesterday (at the protests in Dover) when we warned them that we will not accept this any more, and that this is no longer an option to tell us that the boat numbers are down.”

It was the second major anti-migrant protest of the weekend. On Saturday dozens of people dressed in black and wearing balaclavas blocked the road at the port of Dover, causing delays and forcing road closures.

Why was a public order put in place?

A dispersal order has been put in place until Monday evening.

This gives the police extra powers to break up groups of people, where they believe their behaviour is causing harassment or distress.

Protesters on Sunday put pressure on the emergency services and support was needed from forces across the country, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) said.

Treasury minister Emma Reynolds condemned the demonstration, saying it had “crossed the line” of peaceful protest.

“As a politician, I absolutely support the right to peaceful protest,” she told Sky News. “But this has crossed the line. This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour.”

What was unusual about this Channel crossing?

Sunday’s migrant crossing to Portsmouth is believed to be the longest ever Channel crossing made by human traffickers.

The boat is believed to have travelled from Normandy instead of Calais, this may have been done to avoid the police on French beaches and evade being intercepted on the water by a new seaborne police unit.

The French maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said on Sunday that around 140 migrants had set out on a small boat from the west of the Baie de Seine overnight on Saturday.

The departure was “unusual for the area”, with small boats usually launched from further up the French coast near Dunkirk.

Footage taken from the scene near Eastney showed a large emergency presence, and men wrapped in blankets were seen being taken ashore on RNLI boats.

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), Donna Jones, said the Government needed to act to counter changing patterns from people traffickers shifting away from crossings at the Strait of Dover.

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 per cent more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

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