Hundreds of anti-migrant protesters have blocked roads in Portsmouth, southern England, in an attempt to prevent asylum seekers who arrived by small boat from being transported out of the city.
The UK government has condemned the demonstration, describing the protesters’ actions as intimidating and disorderly, while stressing that the right to peaceful protest must not lead to public unrest.
Footage circulating on social media showed protesters, many dressed in black and wearing face coverings, confronting police officers who formed a security cordon around buses carrying the asylum seekers to a processing centre.
Despite the confrontation, police successfully escorted the buses out of the area.
French authorities earlier reported that a boat carrying about 140 people had departed from Baie de Seine in Normandy and was heading towards England’s southern coast.
The arrival in Hampshire, where Portsmouth is located, is unusual, as most small boats typically reach Kent, where the English Channel crossing is shorter.
The latest incident comes amid growing political and public concern over irregular migration to Britain, with the issue fuelling support for the right-wing Reform UK party.
The British government says small-boat crossings fell to their lowest August level since records began in 2018, while overall arrivals were also at their lowest August level since 2020.
However, officials have raised concerns about an increase in the number of people travelling on individual boats.
Home Office figures show that more than 16,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the beginning of 2026.
Despite the attention surrounding the crossings, government data indicates that small-boat arrivals represent only a fraction of people entering Britain, with the majority arriving through legal migration routes.
