A small number of police officers were injured and some vehicles were damaged during an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth, on England’s southern coast, on Monday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Protesters clashed with police after hundreds gathered following the arrival of a small boat carrying migrants, as the government condemned the “thuggish” behaviour.
Around 200 demonstrators who had gathered in Portsmouth were dispersed at about 4 am local time (0300 GMT) on Monday, according to media reports citing Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
The police force added that an investigation was ongoing to “identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles, or other criminal offences.”
A number of police officers were injured and some vehicles were damaged during the clashes as 140 migrants were brought ashore in Hampshire, some 120 miles from the usual landing point for migrants arriving in the UK on small boats.
While crimes were committed, “hundreds” were acting lawfully, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones was quoted by the BBC as saying.
Separately, government data released on Monday showed that hundreds of migrants had arrived in the country on Sunday.
According to Home Office figures, 626 migrants aboard eight small boats crossed the English Channel to reach Britain.
Last week, the government announced that the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats during the summer had fallen to its lowest level since 2019.
Some 16,400 migrants had crossed the Channel as of Aug. 28, down 43 per cent from the same period in 2025 and 17 per cent from the same point in 2024, according to reports.
