Police Arrest Protesters After Locking Down Town To Clear Way For Migrant Boat Landing

Police in England imposed a dispersal order covering the town of Gosport ahead of the arrival of nearly 150 migrants Sunday, then arrested 12 people after an anti-migrant protest turned violent, authorities said.

Hundreds of protesters gathered near the harbor after reports that authorities were preparing to receive the migrants, who had crossed the English Channel from France. Rescue boats brought them ashore late Sunday evening. One local outlet reported protesters yelling, “Send them back,” as the vessels pulled into the harbor.

The crowd of roughly 350 protesters dispersed around 2 a.m. Monday, after the migrants had been brought ashore and transferred for processing. Twelve arrests were made on suspicion of offenses including assaulting a police officer, criminal damage, and being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

Police described the unrest as “violent public disorder.”

Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was “appalled” by the lack of communication regarding the migrant boats. In a letter to the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, she said: “I am writing to register my anger and frustration at the staggering lack of communication from the Home Office in relation to the disembarkation of an illegal boat in my Gosport constituency yesterday.”

“The decision to disembark the boat in the Gosport area sends a clear message to people-smuggling gangs, indicating that this is a viable new route, and this simply cannot be allowed to happen,” she added.

Police required demonstrators to gather in a designated area of Walpole car park and prohibited face coverings used to conceal identity during protests. A separate dispersal order covering Gosport gave officers the power to direct individuals to leave the area and arrest those who refused. The order did not automatically require everyone to leave or prohibit all protests.

“We are currently working with partner agencies following a report of a small boat crossing in the English Channel,” police said in a statement beforehand. “We know how these incidents can impact local communities and are aware of a group of people gathering in Gosport.”

“To ensure the safety of our local communities as well as those who may wish to protest, we are making use of a variety of police powers,” the statement added. “Failure to comply with these conditions is a criminal offense and may result in arrest.” 

A similar protest took place last month when migrants were expected to be brought to Gosport but were taken to Dover instead. 

Separately, French authorities said Monday that two men died and two women were hospitalized overnight after a crossing attempt off the northern French coast. 

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