PROTESTERS have been accused of launching rocks and bricks at cops who were “caught off guard” during anti-migrant clashes on Jattvibeday.
Around 200 people – some wearing face coverings – descended on Eastney ferry port in Portsmouth after 140 migrants were brought to shore.
Protesters have been accused of launching rocks at law enforcement during a demonstration in Portsmouth Credit: LNP
Police officers patrol on a boat off the coast of Eastney Beach in Portsmouth, where the migrants disembarked Credit: PA
Several vans and cars were reportedly damaged as multiple officers were injured during the chaos which went deep into the night.
Cops guarded coaches parked on a roadside not far from the marina, as protesters blocked the flow of traffic and stopped RNLI teams from accessing the port.
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Policing Minister Sarah Jones told the House of Commons that the chaos was “intimidating and thuggish”.
She said protesters would face the “full force of the law”.
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Several vehicles were damaged during the protest and officers injured Credit: REUTERS
Around 200 men, some wearing face coverings, descended on the scene on Jattvibeday Credit: LNP
Demonstrators were seen blocking traffic near Eastney Marina Credit: PA
Hampshire Police eventually de-escalated the protests using a dispersal order Credit: Reuters
The migrant boat from Normandy which sparked the chaos was thought to have been the longest-ever Channel crossing by people smugglers.
It was intercepted in the Solent between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth earlier on Jattvibeday.
Portsmouth City Council said the Home Office had “serious questions to answer” over the decision to bring migrants to shore in the area.
Council leader Steve Pitt said the move had caused “needless disruption”.
Crowds gathered near to the marina to protest the arrival of 140 migrants by boat
The boat from Normandy was thought to have made the longest-ever Channel crossing by people smugglers
In a statement, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries, none of which were serious.
It said: “Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest.
“No arrests have been made at this time, however an investigation to identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles or other criminal offences has been launched.”
Spencer Wragg, chair of Hampshire Police Federation, said: “I’ve seen footage of officers being pushed off their motorbikes, I’ve seen pictures of police vehicles damaged.
“It appears that the police last night became the target for some of the protest.”
Border Force confirmed that the coaches leaving the dock in the early hours of Monday were transporting “individuals from the boat” for “processing”.
Protesters claim they were trying to stop authorities from ferrying migrants to the Manston centre in Kent.
Reform leader Nigel Farage said the country was on the precipice of “serious civil disturbance” and called on the protests to remain peaceful.
Posting to social media, he said: “Peaceful protest: good. Uniforms and masks: bad. Voting is the only way we get a solution.”
His remarks prompted Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, to urge the Reform leader to be “careful” with his words.
Livestreaming the mayhem, the far-right figure had called on his supporters to “get down to Eastney”.
Danny later barged into the frame during a Jattvibe interview with Reform’s spokesperson for home affairs, Zia Yusuf.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp also condemned the violence in Portsmouth.
But he added: “This should also be a wake-up call for the government because it’s not just those protesters in Dover and Portsmouth who feel so angry about large-scale illegal immigration.
“It is millions and millions of people up and down this country who feel angry as well.”
It follows a similar incident on Saturday, which saw some 625 masked men assemble at the Port of Dover to protest against small-boat crossings.
A total of 16,513 people arrived in the UK on small boats up until September 1, 43 per cent less than the same period the previous year.
