Image caption, Around 200 people, some wearing masks, confronted police in riot gear at the protest
Police are seeking to identify protesters after several officers were injured and vehicles damaged in Portsmouth at a demonstration sparked by the arrival of 120 migrants in a single dinghy.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones told the House of Commons the disorder on Sunday night was "intimidating and thuggish" and warned "those who cross into illegality" would "face the full force of the law".
The protests followed a large group of masked men holding a demonstration over small-boat crossings at the Port of Dover on Saturday, causing major disruption.
Portsmouth City Council said the Home Office had "serious questions to answer" over the decision to bring the migrants, who had crossed the English Channel from France, to shore in the area.
What we know about anti-migrant protests and organiser Danny Thomas
Around 200 people, some wearing masks, confronted police in riot gear after they descended on the Eastney Landing ferry port area, where the migrants were landed.
Police protected a number of coaches parked on a road leading away from Eastney Marina as protesters blocked traffic. A dispersal order was put in place, meaning anyone failing to comply with police could be arrested.
In a statement, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a handful 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."
Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo - an associate of far-right activist Tommy Robinson - was livestreaming from the scene - where he called for his supporters to "get down to Eastney" and stop the migrants being transported.
The coaches carrying the migrants were able to leave in the early hours of Monday and the Border Force confirmed "individuals from the boat have been transported outside of Hampshire for processing".
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Watch: Anti-migrant protesters block roads in Portsmouth
Footage shared online appeared to show protesters following the convoy of coaches along a motorway after it had left.
Protesters said they were trying to stop authorities transporting the migrants to the Manston processing centre in Kent.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, the policing minister said: "Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democracy and it must be defended But so too is the right of other citizens to go about their lives without undue interference – and there can be no excuse for threatening behavior or serious disruption.
Sarah Jones added: "Let me therefore make clear to the House and to the country that disorder of any kind will never be tolerated and those who cross the line from peaceful protest into illegality will face the full force of the law."
Responding, shadow home secretary Chris Philp condemned the violence in Portsmouth but 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."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the country is on the edge of "serious civil disturbance" and called on protests to remain peaceful.
In a video posted to social media, he said: "Peaceful protest: good. Uniforms and masks: bad. Voting is the only way we get a solution."
Click to expand Tap the questions below How many people cross the English Channel in small boats? Between 1 January and 6 September 2026, a total of 17,138 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 43% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 40% of asylum applications between July 2025 to June 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 7 September 2025 to 6 September 2026 carried an average of 68 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from July 2025 to June 2026.
In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,335 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026. This was down by 17% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, who represents Gosport near Portsmouth, accused the Home Office of failing to provide local officials with details of Sunday's protest.
"As a result we weren't in a position to calm fear and tension," she said.
The Labour MP for Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin, said the "emergence" of the route across the Channel taken in Sunday's crossing was "deeply worrying for my city".
Some 625 migrants on eight boats were brought to shore at Dover and Portsmouth on Sunday, according to Home Office figures.
A total of 16,513 people arrived in the UK in small boats in the year to 1 September - which is 43% lower than the same period the previous year.
UK net migration has meanwhile dropped to its lowest level outside of the Covid pandemic since 2012.
This weekend's disruption comes just days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron met to discuss how to "scale up" efforts to reduce small boat crossings.
But while the number of boat crossings over summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people onto fewer, larger vessels dubbed "mega dinghies".
In August, a single small boat carrying a record 230 people successfully crossed the Channel.
It is thought the people smugglers organising the crossings have been forced to go to much greater lengths to avoid detection following more robust policing in the Calais area.
Channel smuggling gangs resort to 'mega-dinghies' as crackdown limits small boat supply
