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Twelve arrests after Gosport protest over migrant boat arrival
Overview
Twelve people have been arrested following a protest in Gosport, Hampshire, over the arrival of 149 migrants who were rescued in the English Channel. Around 150 demonstrators gathered at a marina on Sunday, leading to scuffles with police, flares being set off, and some officers sustaining minor injuries. Eleven men and one woman remain in custody for offences including assaulting emergency workers, affray, criminal damage, and racially aggravated public order. The migrants were subsequently taken by coach to a processing centre in Kent.
Key points
- Twelve people were arrested following a protest involving about 150 anti-migrant demonstrators in Gosport, Hampshire.
- The Home Office confirmed that 149 migrants were rescued in a mid-Channel operation and brought ashore by an RNLI boat before being transferred to Kent.
- Arrests included 11 men and one woman on suspicion of offences such as assaulting police officers, affray, criminal damage, and racially aggravated public order.
- Hampshire Police deployed officers and enforced public order powers, including prohibitions on face coverings.
- A small number of police officers sustained minor injuries during the clashes, though no serious injuries were reported.
- This incident marks the third crossing in a month, bringing the total number of small boat arrivals this year to 19,451.