Anti-migrant protesters gather at seaside town as dinghy crosses Channel to UK

Anti-migrant protesters gathered at a seaside town in Hampshire as a dinghy carrying 149 migrants prepared to come ashore.

Demonstrators assembled near Haslar Marina in Gosport on Sunday amid reports that authorities were preparing for the arrival of a boat.

The dinghy was shadowed by French rescue vessels until it was met by two RNLI boats in English waters.

The migrants onboard will now be taken to Kent to undergo processing, the Home Office confirmed.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it deployed officers to Gosport to "support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea", with ambulances and coaches spotted in the area.

The protest was mostly peaceful, but there were reports of flares being set off and scuffles with the police.

Officers prohibited the use of face coverings to "conceal identity during any protest activity".

They also directed protesters to a designated area inside a car park and warned that failure to comply "is a criminal offence and may result in arrest".

A government spokesperson said: "The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border. We have established contingency plans to make sure we can securely disembark, check and process all small boat arrivals.

"Migrants will be transported to short term holding facilities in Kent where they will be processed as normal and undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks."

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Last month, protesters gathered in the area after reports suggested that migrants would be arriving on a dinghy - but they were instead taken to Dover by sea.

The vessel, carrying 51 migrants, spent around 30 hours at sea after departing from Normandy.

The migrants eventually arrived in Dover after being transferred to Border Security Command boats.

It is estimated that 19,451 Channel crossings have taken place this year, a 43% decrease on this time last year and a 23% drop from this stage in 2024.

(c) Sky News 2026: Anti-migrant protesters gather at seaside town as dinghy crosses Channel to UK