Hundreds of far-right activists try to block 140 asylum seekers at British port

Hundreds of far-right demonstrators tried overnight to stop 140 asylum seekers from leaving Portsmouth port after the British coastguard rescued them at sea.

The asylum seekers had crossed the Channel in a rubber boat and were due to travel by bus to an application center in Manston. Demonstrators blocked roads around the port and gathered near the buses. They eventually left at about 3 a.m., after police threatened to make arrests.

British politicians condemned the action. A Home Office spokesperson described the protesters’ conduct as “intimidating and violent” and said the asylum seekers had since left the port and were being accommodated through normal procedures.

The Guardian reported that Daniel Thomas appeared to have organized the action. Thomas, a far-right influencer known as Danny Tommo, previously worked as a bodyguard for conspiracy theorist and anti-migration activist Tommy Robinson. He livestreamed the Portsmouth protest and called on followers to travel to the port city.

The newspaper said the incident may have been the first attempt by protesters to physically prevent a group of asylum seekers from arriving and registering. Thomas was also linked to a Saturday blockade near Dover, where masked men in black clothes blocked access roads for hours. His Patriot Platform group claimed responsibility.

The number of migrants reaching Britain in small boats has fallen by more than 40 percent compared with September last year. The article said smugglers are taking greater risks and using longer routes. The group taken to Portsmouth had departed from Cherbourg in Normandy and spent more than 10 hours at sea.

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Intimidating and violent.