Portsmouth sees second weekend of anti-immigration protests, arrests made

Far-right activists gathered again in Portsmouth on Saturday, a week after a small boat carrying 140 asylum seekers was intercepted near the city. Police arrested three people: a 76-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of concealing his identity, after officers had warned that face coverings could lead to arrest under the Crime and Policing Act; a 33-year-old Portsmouth man on suspicion of obstructing a highway; and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of violent disorder linked to the previous weekend's events.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said this weekend's protest was largely peaceful and compliant with the new face-covering law, unlike the previous Sunday, which saw assaults on officers and damage to police vehicles and property.

In Portsmouth city centre, demonstrators carrying union flags gathered outside All Saints Church, chanting against 'illegal' arrivals, while counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism and Refugees Welcome assembled nearby with signs defending RNLI rescue workers.

A parallel situation unfolded in Glasgow, where the Pink Ladies group held an anti-immigration rally at Glasgow Green, met by a Stand Up to Racism counter-protest. Police kept the two groups separated, and the event passed off without major incident.

Background

Last Sunday's episode marked what is believed to be the first time a large boatload of asylum seekers arriving in Portsmouth was met by organised attempts to block their processing. That protest left police vehicles damaged and several officers injured. The first person charged over those events, 42-year-old Del Leon Somerville, appeared in court on Saturday accused of violent disorder and assaulting a police officer.

The government condemned last weekend's disorder as 'thuggish behaviour'. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood met with police to ensure readiness for further far-right activity following similar disruption in Dover. Small boat crossings have fallen more than 40% year-on-year, though smugglers have shifted to longer, more dangerous routes from further along the French coast.