Man, 76, charged with concealing identity after 'wearing a burkha' at Portsmouth anti-migrant protest
Police warned they would use powers to arrest demonstrators wearing face coverings as anti-migrant and anti-racism protesters faced off in the city centre on Saturday.
A 76-year-old man has been charged with concealing his identity for allegedly wearing a burkha at an anti-immigration protest in Portsmouth.
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Timothy Miller, of Southampton, will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Monday accused of wearing or using an item to conceal his identity at a protest, Hampshire Police said.
It has now emerged the item he used to hide his face was a burkha, according to reports.
Footage shared online shows a man being apprehended by police while wearing the face covering, typically worn by muslim women, at the anti-migrant demonstration.
Another image shows the man being led away in handcuffs.
This comes after police warned they would use powers to arrest demonstrators wearing face coverings.
Anti-migrant and anti-racism protesters faced off in the city centre on Saturday.
Police used powers under the Crime and Policing Act to restrict face coverings following anti-immigration protests featuring masked men in Portsmouth and Dover last weekend.
Another man and a teenage boy were arrested at the protests on Saturday.
Read more: Man, 42, charged after Portsmouth anti-migrant protest
David McNally, 33, of Portsmouth, has been charged with wilful obstruction of a highway and attempted criminal damage.
He is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on October 29.
A 16-year-old boy, from Waterlooville, who was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to scenes last week, has been released on bail until December 12.Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said the hundreds of people who took part in Saturday’s protests were largely peaceful and complied with the restrictions on face coverings.
She said on Saturday: “Thankfully we didn’t see repeated scenes of (last) Sunday night with assaults on police officers and criminal damage to police vehicles and people’s property.“
Hundreds of people took part in today’s protest and, with the exception of a few people, it was peaceful and conducted in accordance with the new law calling for their faces to be uncovered.“The people of Portsmouth deserve to go about their business without fear and disruption.“While some may think it was arbitrary to use the new power directing people to remove face coverings, the police ensured it was implemented equally and impartially for everyone involved.“I will ensure this power is used proportionately in the future for both sides of the spectrum of protesters.”
She thanked the hundreds of officers who policed the event.Portsmouth Patriots was one of the groups involved in the anti-immigration protest, with demonstrators chanting: “Stop the boats.”In the Stand Up To Racism counter-protest, demonstrators held signs which read: “RNLI are heroes, no-one is illegal,” and “stop pretending your racism is patriotism”.
RNLI volunteers and staff have faced abuse from anti-migrant protesters over their rescue work bringing some small boat migrants ashore.
Overnight last Sunday, crowds gathered at Eastney Ferry Landing after a dinghy’s arrival across the English Channel.Official vehicles were damaged and a small number of police officers were injured, Hampshire Police said.
About 200 people were dispersed early on Monday.In Dover, crowds of masked men blocked road access to the port last Saturday, in scenes which were condemned by politicians of all parties.