Gosport residents "standing up for ourselves" over "disgusting" plan to ship in boat of migrants

Gosport residents have said “we’ve got to stand up for ourselves” after backing protests to stop a boat of migrants coming ashore in a “disgusting” government manoeuvre.

Locals in the town revealed their strength of opposition against migrants being shipped in amid a plethora of fears raised after the government’s embarrassing U-turn to abort dropping asylum seekers off at Fort Blockhouse on Tuesday.

The people of Gosport join their council and Portsmouth City Council, along with MPs, who have called for an end to migrants crossing to Hampshire after the doomed attempt to land the boat of 51 migrants was abandoned following a furious backlash.

Angry protesters gathered in Gosport on Tuesday evening after news spread a migrant boat was set to arrive on the shore. It led to riot police, including officers from London, being drafted in to maintain order.

The dinghy never landed at the Gosport shore as Border Force vessels were hastily forced to intervene and transfer the asylum seekers via the Channel to Dover.

The illegal immigrants arrived in Dover at 12.30am after being at sea for 33 hours as the government was left with egg on its face after the abrupt change of plan. Local politicians and authorities had been unaware of the vessel being headed to Gosport for a pre-planned disembarkation.

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Despite migrants not landing in Gosport - where coaches were waiting ready to take them to Kent for processing - tensions still flared in the area with six people arrested over disorder.

It follows the first ever illegal migrant crossing to Hampshire after migrants were brought ashore in Eastney on September 6 leading to a 10-hour protest before 120 migrants were eventually transferred by road to Dover. A number of protesters were arrested with some of those since being charged and appearing in court.

The fallout from the second crossing in the area this month has led to a united response from authorities and MPs - and now locals, who made their feelings clear on the subject.

Anthony Stirrat, 55, said: “We’ve got to stand up for ourselves. We were all panicking during Covid but why’s no one panicking now (with migration)?

“They’re taking our houses and our work, it’s disgusting. It takes about 20 years to get a council house already and they get put up in hotels.

“Disgraceful. It’s not going to stop is it? People will start thieving. There will be a riot against ourselves. And the RNLI aren’t great either are they?”

A couple in their 60s, who did not want to be named, said: “The migrants should not have been brought here. It was a peaceful protest and should be encouraged. We have enough problems already.

“We’re a soft touch and people try to exploit it. We’ve allowed ourselves to be abused and it must stop. If we don’t then it will kick off. We’re at a defining moment in history.

“We’ve lived in Paris and things are a lot tougher there for migrants. They don’t get given hotels, they are on the streets.

“We object to protesters being called far right. These are just ordinary people and people who label them as far right are getting away with it. I think the police are acting with a political bent and are starting to abuse laws we have to control protests.

“The RNLI are being used as political puppets. They should not be acting as a taxi service. We were brought up to respect the RNLI, we had sailors in our family, but they have been hijacked by the government.

“They’re meant to save lives at sea but knowingly taking in people is not rescuing, it's a ferry service.”

A disabled woman who witnessed the protests said: “It’s disgusting the government tried to bring the migrants here. I don’t blame the protesters.

“I’ve a family of five living above me in a two bedroom flat. We need to look after our people first. The RNLI had no choice, they’ve got to do what they’re told.”

Alan Riding, 99, said: “Getting rid of (the migrants) was marvellous. I didn’t like it at all. Turn them back.

“The country is going to sink. I had the best of England in my days. It was hard but it was good. We were all English together. We had the Jamaicans coming over but they worked and were good.”

An army veteran, who did not want to be named, said: “I don’t mind legal migrants coming here but not the illegals. There’s too many that are allowed into the country.

“People are not being racist, it’s just common sense. We’re taking on thousands. There’s too many people in the country for the government to sustain.

“There’s the cost of living and housing costs are high. They should move any (migrants) who are not accounted for to places such as the removal centre.

“My support for the RNLI has gone downhill, though they are stuck in the middle and probably had no choice.

“Their primary objective is to save lives at sea and the migrants and smugglers know that and use it to their advantage. The RNLI may not like (having to rescue migrants) but they are being made accomplices by Border Force.”

It comes as the government has said it must “push further and harder” to stop migrants crossing the Channel after more than 700 people arrived in the UK on Wednesday – the highest number for a single day so far this year.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has ordered an urgent review by the Border Security Command, said the failure to intercept the two boats was “not acceptable”.

The Home Office recorded 781 arrivals in 10 boats on Wednesday, suggesting an average of 78 people per boat.

A government spokesperson said: “Our progress this year in tackling small boats is indisputable – with crossings down by 42% and the lowest recorded over the summer months since 2020.

“But this week’s events show that while the peaks we are seeing are far below those of previous years, we need to push further and harder in order to eradicate this vile trade.”

Wednesday’s arrivals take the provisional total for Channel crossings for the year so far to 18,565.

The numbers are down 42% on this time last year (32,188), and 26% below the figure at this stage in 2024 (25,165).

Speaking of events in Gosport, councillor Zoe Huggins, Gosport Borough Council leader, said: "It is outrageous that the government can review arrangements like this without talking to the local council. We heard from local contacts that planning was happening and have asked the government for urgent conversations to find out more about their plans.

"We have seen in Eastney the issue with using a location with one road in and out. I had already written to the government highlighting this issue with Gosport being a peninsula. Not only have they ignored that, they have chosen a site located on a peninsula at the end of the Gosport peninsula, compounding the problem.”

MP Dame Caroline Dinenage called for a full review by the government. “The people of Gosport deserve better than to find out through rumours that a major Home Office operation is being prepared on their doorstep, while their emergency services are mobilised without adequate local communication or consideration of the consequences,” she said.

A government spokesperson, addressing the backlash, said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border and will continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.”

The government said it has now established “contingency plans to deal with small boat arrivals further along the coast” but “not be commenting further on operational processes or contingency arrangements”.

Individuals will otherwise be processed as normal in short term holding facilities in Kent, where they will undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks.