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UK anti-migrant protesters block roads after small-boat crossing

From The Punch · () English

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

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Hundreds of demonstrators blocked roads in Portsmouth and tried to prevent asylum seekers from leaving after their arrival by small boat.
  • The Home Office condemned the protest, while police escorted the asylum seekers to a processing centre.
  • French authorities said a vessel carrying 140 people had left Normandy for southern England, where such arrivals are rare.

Masked demonstrators in black blocked roads in Portsmouth after asylum seekers arrived by small boat, prompting the British government to condemn what it called "thuggish" behavior.

The protest took place on Sunday night and was the second significant anti-migrant demonstration in Britain that weekend. On Saturday, large crowds of masked men had blocked access to the Port of Dover. In Portsmouth, protesters confronted police officers carrying riot shields as officers formed a cordon around buses waiting to take the asylum seekers to a processing centre.

We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw in Portsmouth last night.

· UK Home Office spokespersonThe interior ministry condemned the road-blocking protest and confrontation with police.

The migrants were successfully transported, officials said. French authorities had earlier reported that a vessel carrying 140 people departed Baie de Seine in Normandy and headed for England's southern coast. Arrivals by small boat in Hampshire, where Portsmouth is located, are extremely rare. Most boats reach Kent farther east, where the English Channel crossing is shorter.

The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.

· UK Home Office spokespersonThe statement acknowledged the right to protest while warning against disorder.

The Home Office said, "We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw in Portsmouth last night." It added that peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic right, but must not become disorder. Conservative lawmaker Joe Robertson described the crossing as "extremely concerning" and called for authorities to establish what had happened and whether people smugglers were using new routes.

Britain has struggled to reduce dangerous small-boat journeys, which have brought tens of thousands of asylum seekers to southeast England in recent years. The issue has increased support for the hard-right Reform UK party. Home Office data showed 16,513 migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats since the start of the year. The government said crossings in August were at their lowest level since records began in 2018, although authorities have reported more passengers travelling in each boat in recent months.

Extremely concerning to see an illegal migrant crossing this far west.

· Joe RobertsonThe local Conservative lawmaker reacted to the arrival in Portsmouth, west of the usual landing areas.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. 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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