Police arrest 12 after Gosport protest over 149 migrants brought ashore

Marina confrontation and disembarkation

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary arrested 12 people after demonstrations broke out at Haslar Marina in Gosport on Sunday evening. The confrontation began after two Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) vessels brought 149 rescued migrants ashore around 22:00. Demonstrator counts varied across reports, with crowd estimates ranging between 100 and 350 people. Protesters assembled around police vans, ignited red flares, and forced officers to push back crowds during scuffles. Chants of "send them back", "stop the boats", "deport the lot", and "shame on you" were directed at the marina as passengers in orange lifejackets stepped off the vessels. Tension rose sharply roughly 20 minutes after the boats docked.

Crossing route and reception protocols

The small inflatable boat departed the French coast near Utah Beach in Normandy on Sunday morning. French rescue ships shadowed the dinghy across the English Channel until it entered British waters, where two RNLI lifeboats took over the operation. This voyage marked the third crossing originating from Normandy in the space of a month, an unusual western route compared to traditional crossings near Dover. After completing initial dockside checks at Gosport, officials boarded the 149 passengers onto coaches bound for holding facilities in Kent for mandatory administration.

A government spokesperson explained the security and disembarkation protocols.

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.

Police deployment and public order powers

Police officers were initially deployed to Gosport on Sunday afternoon to support emergency services after port access was sealed. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed that 11 men and one woman remained in custody on Monday. The detentions were made on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, affray, and racially aggravated public order offences. To manage the disturbance, commanders invoked powers under the Public Order Act to ban face coverings and placed a dispersal order across Gosport that remains in force until Tuesday morning.

George Madgwick, a Reform UK councillor, had warned local residents on social media earlier on Sunday ahead of the docking.

I hate to report that Gosport is the planned landing point for today's migrant boat. This is an absolute shambles. But there is hope. Last time they planned to dock there they changed course. Let's hope they do the same today. If you're heading there stay peaceful and calm.

Previous standoffs and Channel casualties

Sunday marked the second large assembly in Gosport over potential migrant dockings within recent weeks. In September, crowds gathered at the marina after seeing ambulances and coaches, leading to six arrests, though that dinghy carrying 51 passengers was ultimately diverted to Dover after spending 30 hours at sea. The passengers in that incident had refused assistance from French coastguard cutters. Separately, French maritime authorities confirmed on Monday that two men died and two women sustained injuries during an overnight small-boat crossing attempt elsewhere in the English Channel.