Twelve arrests after protest over migrant boat arrival - BBC News
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Twelve arrests after protest over migrant boat arrival
Police and demonstrators faced off during the protest in Gosport on Sunday evening.
By Dave Gilyeat
South of England
Published 5 October 2026, 13:38 BST
Updated 11 minutes ago
Twelve people have been arrested for offences including assaulting a police officer after a protest over migrant arrivals in a south coast town.
The Home Office said 149 migrants had been picked up in a mid-Channel rescue operation by the RNLI alongside a French vessel. Some flares were set off and there were a few scuffles with police during the stand-off at a marina in Gosport, Hampshire, involving about 150 anti-migrant demonstrators on Sunday.
Eleven men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of offences including assaulting police officers, affray and racially aggravated public orders. All remain in custody. The migrants were taken by coach to a processing centre in Kent.
This is the second known landing of large numbers of migrants this far west along the south coast in recent years.
A police cordon was in place on Haslar Road in Gosport, where the atmosphere at the protest mostly remained peaceful. Some protesters stopped police vans from advancing by standing in front of them and chanting "shame on you" and "deport the lot".
*Hampshire Police said it had deployed officers to "support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea", including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, RNLI and *Border Security Command.
The force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act, as well as powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings. A small number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries, but no-one in attendance was seriously injured, police said.
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Dodds said:
"Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest. Our position on this has been clear that we will investigate thoroughly and take robust action against anyone responsible."
He added:
"Neither do they, or anyone from our partner agencies, deserve to be singled out online or subjected to abuse via social media."