Protesters scuffle with police after migrants land on south coast

DAILYMAIL.COM • 5h ago

By NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER and LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER 07:22 05 Oct 2026, updated 07:51 05 Oct 2026

Protesters clashed with police after dozens of migrants arrived at an historic naval port via small boat using a ‘new route’ to evade detection.

A large dinghy was spotted heading towards Britain from near Utah Beach in Normandy on Sunday morning.

It is understood the dinghy was shadowed by French coastguard and rescue vessels as it made its way to the UK.

The Home Office said 149 migrants were believed to be on board and will taken to Kent to undergo processing.

Around 300 protesters gathered near Haslar Marina in Gosport where a number of migrants were seen arriving – having been transported aboard two RNLI boats late on Sunday evening.

Flares were set off and there were scuffles with police as demonstrators shouted ‘send them back’ and ‘you’re not welcome’.

Toby, a 26-year-old chef who lives nearby, said he had come down to the protest after ‘seeing it on Twitter’.

‘I hadn’t been to the last ones. There are a lot of people that take it too far, but how can you trust the police when they’re doing this?

‘They’re hiding the entire process from us because they know it’s wrong. You see all these people in France and they’ve just been let in.

‘We’ve seen what they’re capable of. It’s affecting the whole country but Gosport is getting the worst of it,’ he said.

A fight appeared to break out amid the chaos and police officers stood poised with pepper spray in their hands.

One protester, with a megaphone, shouted at police: ‘You’ve enabled this now… Well done officers, well done, you’ve proved it’s possible to land in Gosport.

‘Now look what we’re going to have to deal with because of you.

‘You just cemented the destruction of Gosport.’

Another young man claimed police should be ‘ashamed of yourselves’.

Dave, a construction worker who lives in the area, had been shouting for the crowd to join him in pushing back the police.

He said: ‘If we all did it, they wouldn’t be able to stop us. If it’s just me I’ll get nicked.

‘I’ve worked all my life, paid all this tax, for it to go to people who have never lived or worked here.

‘I’ve built houses that go straight to people that never worked. They are houses I couldn’t have.’

Another man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘If we were calm they would nick us. We have to be aggressive for our own protection.’

Officers placed nails on the road to prevent protesters from driving to the barricade after one car appeared to drive towards police at a slow speed.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it had deployed officers to Gosport to ‘support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea’.

Ambulances and coaches were spotted in the area.

The force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act alongside powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings.

A Government spokesman said: ‘The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border. We have established contingency plans to make sure we can securely disembark, check and process all small boat arrivals.

‘Migrants will be transported to short term holding facilities in Kent where they will be processed as normal and undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks.’

Leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, George Madgwick, said: ‘I can not believe the British Government have allowed a boat of illegal migrants to dock in the Home of the Royal Navy here in Portsmouth Harbour, Gosport.

‘This makes me feel physically sick. They wonder why local people are angry.’

The latest crossing comes just days after a similar operation caused tension in nearby Gosport when hundreds of protesters gathered over reports that a migrant boat was due to arrive there.

That dinghy, which had travelled from Normandy, eventually arrived in Dover after spending more than 30 hours at sea.

The 51 people on board had reportedly refused assistance from the French coastguard before British rescue vessels intervened.

The incident sparked a major police operation in Gosport, with six people arrested as officers dealt with protesters.

Three people were subsequently charged over offences including assaults on emergency workers.

Departures from further west along the French coast have been relatively unusual in recent years, but there have now been three such crossings in the space of a month.

The longer journeys mean boats can spend many hours at sea before reaching British waters, while their eventual landing point can be difficult to predict.

The Government has stressed that Border Security Command monitors the Channel around the clock and that those arriving by small boat are subject to checks and processing.

A Government spokesman said: ‘The Border Security Command works around the clock to monitor the Channel and protect our border. It is vital we continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.’

Official figures show the number of small boat arrivals remains significantly lower than at the same point last year, despite continued crossings.

The Home Office recorded 526 arrivals on September 27 and a further 61 on September 29, with no arrivals recorded on several other days in the final week of September.

The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451, according to figures cited by officials, down 43 per cent on this point last year and 23 per cent below the figure at the same stage in 2024.

The latest Border Security Command annual report said small boat crossings had begun to fall but remained a ‘persistent and adaptive threat’, warning that organised crime groups could change their tactics and seek to increase journeys when conditions were favourable.

The Government has also been working with France to prevent departures, with French authorities reporting hundreds of small boat crossing attempts stopped under the latest UK-France arrangements.

‘Yes I pulled down my half of a semi-detached home… but I’m no neighbour from hell’: Carpenter who…

The £2million Hansel and Gretel cottage renovation dream that became a nightmare: Millionaire couple…

Christa Pike’s hospital room surrounded by guards as lawyer says she may never ‘fully recover’ after…

Russian PLAGUE alert: Hundreds of people and three hospitals put into quarantine amid fatal outbreak…

How posh is your wardrobe? The tell-tale fashion clues that reveal who’s really upper class -…

US military removes all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford after ‘Iran-linked terror plot’ against the…

Mayfair’s £1,000-a-night five-star Connaught Hotel has some uninvited guests on its doorstep……

Shipping container village hailed as a ‘dream for all homeless people’ is making life a ‘living…

Body of woman ‘wearing a wetsuit’ is found washed up on popular beach a day after coastguard were…

Greens labelled ‘first openly anti-Semitic party in the UK’ as members approve Zionism is Racism…

Always read the small print: The extraordinary case of the bungling council that sold a run down…

Bloodshed on the Costa del Sol: How holiday hotspot is turning into underworld battleground with…

Trans activists gatecrash Green women’s event to protest discussion about female health

British grandfather pleads for help and says he is having ‘dark thoughts’ as he faces jail in Dubai…

White House on high alert and ‘assessing options’ as plague breaks out in Russia with hundreds put…

‘Israeli 9/11 terrorist pilot dreamed of crashing plane into Tel Aviv’s airport or tower complex and…

Protesters scuffle with police after migrants land on south coastComments are subject to our House rules and TermsNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}

No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first.

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{#replies.comments}}{{^isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{#isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{/replies.comments}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{^replies.totalCount}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{/isComment}}The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of MailOnline. MailOnline does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content.Terms|Privacy|FeedbackOldest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}