Six arrested at anti-migrant protest after small boat spent '33 hours at sea'
The spate of arrests came after hundreds of people gathered in Gosport following reports that a small boat carrying 60 migrants would be bought to the marina town
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Six people were arrested in Gosport after anti-migrant protesters “became hostile towards officers”, police have said.
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The spate of arrests came after hundreds of people gathered in Gosport following reports that a small boat carrying 60 migrants would be brought to the marina town.
A number of people wearing black, some wearing face coverings, were at the front of the protesters, some of whom chanted "send them back".
The protest was dispersed at around 8.30pm on Tuesday night.
In a statement, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary said: “Police and partner agencies, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Security Command, worked closely in response to reports of a small boat crossing the English Channel on Tuesday 22 September.
Read more: RNLI in Portsmouth temporarily suspends service after volunteer abuse
The statement said officers were met with "a group of people who remained in Gosport, some of whom became hostile towards officers".
It added: “As a result, six people were arrested for offences including careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker and aggravated trespass."
“They remain in custody at this time and our enquiries into these incidents continue."
The protests came after the boat left the Normandy coast on Monday morning and had spent more than 30 hours at sea.
Anti-migrant agitator Daniel Thomas - known online as Danny Tommo - shared a YouTube livestream of the boat from the Channel.
In the video, the Tommy Robinson associate could be seen leaning over from his speedboat, brandishing a knife which he attempted to puncture the vessel with.
Police did not confirm that Mr Thomas was among the arrested but said: “We are also aware of a video circulating online relating to damage being caused to a boat in the English Channel on the afternoon of 22 September, and we are conducting inquiries into the matter.”
Earlier, the RNLI deployed two lifeboats to a dinghy which had been heading to the UK. It had been shadowed by the French coastguard after setting off close to the village of Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux.
The French coastguard said on Tuesday around 60 migrants on a small boat, which spent more than 33 hours at sea “in precarious conditions” refused help as they were “determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom”.
The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the migrants are set to be transferred to Border Security Command following a rescue operation.
French authorities said the vessel was “ill-suited” for such a crossing and warned its “occupants were weakened after more than 33 hours at sea in precarious conditions”.
It comes after multiple large-scale protests in Portsmouth earlier this month in response to migrant activity.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said: “It drained valuable police resources with hundreds of police officers drafted in to keep the community safe.
“Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary cannot repeatedly divert its resources to manage landings the county was never designed to receive.”