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🇫🇷 France /Culture & Society

Anti-immigration protesters try to block migrant transfer in Portsmouth

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters blocked roads near Portsmouth’s Eastney marina as authorities transferred migrants who had arrived by boat.
  • Police formed a security cordon around buses, while the British Home Office condemned what it called intimidating and brutal behavior.
  • French authorities said a boat carrying 140 people had left an area west of the Bay of Seine for England.

Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters gathered overnight in Portsmouth in an attempt to stop the transfer of migrants who had arrived in southern England by boat across the English Channel. The protest followed a similar blockade by anti-migrant demonstrators at the port of Dover the previous day.

the intimidating and brutal behavior we witnessed in Portsmouth last night

· British Home Office spokespersonThe ministry condemned the protesters’ conduct.

Local police deployed a large operation around Eastney marina after a boat crossed the Channel and arrived in the area. French authorities had said earlier that a vessel carrying 140 people had left a location west of the Bay of Seine for England.

According to images shared on social media, many protesters wore black clothing and covered their faces. They blocked roads leading to the site for several hours as riot-shielded police formed a cordon around buses intended to transport the migrants.

the right to protest peacefully is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross the line into disorder

· British Home Office spokespersonThe ministry distinguished lawful protest from public disorder.

A British Home Office spokesperson condemned “the intimidating and brutal behavior we witnessed in Portsmouth last night.” The spokesperson added that “the right to protest peacefully is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross the line into disorder.” The Home Office said the migrants had left their landing site and were being transferred for processing under the usual procedure.

It is extremely worrying to see an illegal migrant crossing so far to the west

· Joe RobertsonThe local Conservative MP reacted to the reported route.

Arrivals in this part of southern England are described as extremely rare because migrant boats generally cross farther east, where the distance between the French and British coasts is shorter. Conservative local MP Joe Robertson called the route “extremely worrying” and said authorities needed to establish whether smugglers were using new routes for larger inflatable boats. The article says authorities have recorded more passengers per boat in recent months, while Channel crossings remain a politically contentious issue that has helped fuel the rise of Reform UK.

We need to know exactly what happened and whether smugglers are using new routes for these large inflatable boats

· Joe RobertsonRobertson called for information about the crossing and possible smuggling routes.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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