Video: Portsmouth Protesters Block Coaches Carrying Migrants After Small Boat Arrival
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Portsmouth, England, after a small boat carrying migrants arrived on the coast from France, with demonstrators later blocking coaches being used to transport the arrivals.
Video from the scene showed protesters surrounding and obstructing coaches while chanting against small-boat crossings and demanding that the migrants be returned to France. The confrontation drew a significant police presence in the Eastney area of Portsmouth.
Hundreds gather after migrant boat reaches Portsmouth
The protest followed the arrival of a vessel carrying more than 100 people, according to reports. Emergency services, Border Force personnel and police were deployed as the group was brought ashore and processed.
Around 500 protesters were reported to have gathered in Portsmouth, with some blocking traffic on Fort Cumberland Road and others moving toward the beachfront.
Coaches carrying migrants blocked
Footage circulating from Portsmouth showed demonstrators blocking coaches believed to be transporting migrants away from the arrival area.
The protesters demanded that those arriving by small boat be sent back to France, reflecting growing political tensions in Britain over Channel crossings and asylum policy.
Police respond as tensions rise
Police officers were deployed to keep control of the demonstration and maintain access around the area.
The Portsmouth protest came one day after hundreds of anti-immigration demonstrators blocked roads around the Port of Dover in another protest focused on small-boat crossings.
The UK government says it is working with France to reduce irregular Channel crossings and has expanded enforcement and patrol cooperation along the French coast.
