Gosport migrant protest: Six people arrested
Police say six arrests were made after a crowd gathered in Gosport to protest against the possible arrival of migrants
Six people were arrested at a protest against a migrant boat that was planned to arrive in Gosport tonight.
The boat was picked up by RNLI vessels from Hastings and Eastbourne when it was in British waters, having set off from Normandy on Monday.
Far-right anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas - known as Danny Tommo - took a boat out himself into the Channel to track the migrants.
After it was confirmed that the migrants were being brought to Hampshire, and not Sussex, a crowd gathered in Gosport to demonstrate. However, later in the evening, news emerged that the migrants were not in fact coming to Gosport.
Police have now said that after that became clear, they were “met with a group of people who remained in Gosport, some of whom became hostile towards officers”.
A Hampshire Constabulary statement said: “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.”
Police also said officers were sent out to Portsmouth to manage demonstrators.
Mr Thomas live-streamed much of his journey around the Channel, and at one point set about the empty migrant vessel with a knife.
The police statement did not make any reference to Mr Thomas, but added: “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 September 22, and we are conducting enquiries into the matter.”