Hundreds of Britons descended on the Eastney Marina of Portsmouth on Sunday evening, blocking the roadway as illegal boat migrants were brought ashore and were set to be loaded on coaches and dispersed into the country.
The waterfront city of Portsmouth, a busy seaport and the home of Britain’s Royal Navy, descended into chaos on Sunday after a dinghy carrying an estimated 140 illegals was seen approaching the coast. According to the local Portsmouth Evening News, a helicopter, aeroplane, and multiple lifeboats were dispatched to the scene.
Alerted to the commotion, Portsmouth local and longtime street organiser Danny Tommo rushed to the Eastney Marina where the migrants were set to be brought ashore.
Tommo, an associate of anti-grooming gang activist Tommy Robinson, livestreamed himself and some of his supporters attempting to block the migrants from being put on coaches and allowed into the country, saying that they posed a direct danger to the women and girls of the local community.
The livestream apparently attracted hundreds of others, many of whom came dressed in black bloc, as was the case with the protest in Dover on Saturday, which was reportedly organised by Tommo and his new Patriot Platform group.
Those gathered were heard chanting “send them back” as they blocked off the only road leading out of the marina. Some protesters were seen briefly clashing with police, who in turn used pepper spray and batons; however, the standoff mostly passed without violence.
While much of the media focus on the incident revolved around the masked attendees, footage posted on social media also seemed to show that local residents were quick to join in such an act of civil disobedience.
Indeed, local Anglican priest Reverend Chris Wickland told YouTuber Wesley Winter that he came to the protest because he was “tired of seeing migrants come illegally into this country, but also when it’s on your own doorstep, it makes it like a hundred times more real.”
“The thing that scares me more than anything is that if the government don’t deal with this, all of this will lead to some civil unrest. We don’t want that, but the fact is that we do have a government that seems insistent on not listening to the people of this nation.”
Another man, who used his car to block off part of the road out of the marina, told Reform UK Councillor George Madgwick that he felt motivated to protest and attempt to block the arrival of illegals to honour those who died in the World Wars from Portsmouth, and that he felt it was important to “protect the city”.
Councillor Madgwick also published footage appearing to show that authorities were well prepared for the arrival of the illegals to Portsmouth for the first time, with new clothes and pyjamas being brought to greet the migrants.
Ultimately, Tommo called off the blockade at around 3am after police informed him that they were prepared to invoke Section 14 of the Public Order Act, which would enable them to arrest participants in the gathering en masse, which he said was not worth it, and that there were not enough men present to resist further.
Hampshire Police said in a statement: “This evening, we have been working alongside and assisting our partners from Border Force, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Portsmouth City Council at Eastney Marina following the arrival of a boat crossing the Channel.
“We have officers in the area to ensure the prevention of any disorder. We ask that people please avoid the area. A dispersal order is in place until tomorrow evening. Anyone who refuses to comply with the direction to leave the area is liable for arrest.
“We can also confirm that Border Force has advised us that individuals will be transported outside of Hampshire for processing in the normal way after they have been safely disembarked.”
A government spokesman added: “We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.
“We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation.”
The ability of anti-mass migration campaigners to quickly manifest protests against migrant arrivals at zero-notice is a new development in British politics, where previously protests had generally been planed in advance and often in consultation with police. The zero-notice appearance of hundreds in Portsmouth follows a similar response in Norfolk when the arrival of just one household of migrant males was noticed and protested that very day, leading to nights of confrontations with police.