PORTSMOUTH — The UK government condemned the "intimidating and thuggish behavior" of anti-immigrant demonstrators in Portsmouth. Hundreds of protesters converged on a port in Portsmouth late Sunday to prevent lifeboats from bringing migrants to land.

A boat carrying approximately 140 people arrived in Portsmouth after crossing the English Channel. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency deployed lifeboats, a helicopter, and a plane for the operation. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: 'In response to a report on September 6 of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams.'

Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire police, and south central ambulance service were also sent to the scene. Protesters attempted to block buses carrying asylum seekers to a processing facility. Many protesters were dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks or balaclavas.

Two police car windscreens were smashed during the protest. Police removed protesters from the scene at 3am with threats of arrest.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds addressed the demonstrations in an interview. "As a politician, I absolutely support the right to peaceful protest, but this has crossed the line. This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour," Reynolds said.

She added that the events were not legitimate demonstrations. "This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour. This is not peaceful protest," she said. Reynolds also thanked emergency services for their response. "Obviously, as a politician, I absolutely support people’s right to peaceful protest. But this crosses the line and I just want to take the opportunity to thank the police and other emergency services who have brought this under control," she said.

The UK government stated: "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder." Reynolds rejected the suggestion that police had been taken by surprise, saying officers had dealt with events well. She said the scale of the protest was something that had not been seen before, but the police have brought it under control.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones provided context on the local impact. Jones stated the boat left near Cherbourg, France, at about 1am on Sunday. She said Portsmouth does not have the infrastructure in place to process arrivals like Dover.

Jones described the nature of the gathering. "Largely they were peaceful. They were there making their point, but they don’t want Portsmouth to become a destination," Jones said. She noted the local force had to draft in officers from other regions to help due to the large size of the gathering.

Nick Lowles, Chief Executive of Hope Not Hate, offered a critical perspective on the protests. "To have 300, 400 people with balaclavas marching down the streets, stopping traffic. You know, it’s not just good enough. We need to call these people out for their politics and for the type of Britain that they want to see," Lowles said.

He contrasted the actions with other forms of dissent. "We’ve got different ways to register our protest. We do not go on the street. We do not burn people out of their houses. We do not cause trouble and threaten to fight the police," he said. Lowles said the images from the weekend are creating a climate of fear among migrants, immigrants, and people of color. He said there appeared to have been a failure of intelligence with both the Portsmouth and Dover protests.

Daniel Thomas appeared to lead both the Portsmouth and Dover protests. Thomas encouraged viewers of his livestream to travel to Portsmouth to join the protest. Daniel Thomas is an ally of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.

Thomas recently established Patriot Platform, which blocked part of the port of Dover on Saturday. Thomas previously launched Operation Overlord, which planned to send far-right activists to France to stop boats. French authorities banned Daniel Thomas from France after he and supporters filmed themselves slashing abandoned dinghies on a French beach.

Asylum seekers were transported by coach to Manston, outside Ramsgate in Kent, for processing. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government says stepped-up law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France has helped reduce the number of people making the crossing so far this year by more than 40% compared with 2025. Reynolds said the number of small boat crossings from January 1 to September 1 was about 17,000, down 43% on the same period last year. More than 40,000 people made the journey across the English Channel last year.

Timeline

On September 5, 2026, hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to the port of Dover on Saturday. The Dover protest clogged traffic and disrupted travelers and cargo vehicles heading for France.

On September 6, 2026, Daniel Thomas stated that Portsmouth was "now ground zero" "for the arrival of asylum seekers and that" "Dover was a dummy run". She stated the boat left near Cherbourg, France, at about 1am on Sunday.

What's New

Emma Reynolds said: "This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour. This is not peaceful protest." Treasury Chief Secretary Emma Reynolds stated that the behaviour 'crosses a line' and condemned it as 'thuggish' and 'intimidating' on 7 September 2026, according to lbc.co.uk. George Madgwick wrote on X that "over 100 migrant men" had arrived on the Portsmouth shores on Sunday.

A Home Office spokesperson said the UK has signed a payment-by-results deal with France to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches. She said: "As a politician, I absolutely support the right to peaceful protest, but this has crossed the line. This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour." She said Portsmouth does not have the infrastructure in place to process arrivals like Dover. Nick Lowles said there appeared to have been a failure of intelligence with both the Portsmouth and Dover protests.

Why It Matters

The events in Portsmouth follow a pattern of coordinated anti-immigration actions, including the blockade of the port of Dover the previous day. The involvement of activist Daniel Thomas, who encouraged viewers to travel to Portsmouth, shows the organized nature of the demonstrations. The government condemnation reflects the distinction authorities draw between peaceful protest and disorder, particularly when it involves blocking emergency services and transport.

The disruption occurred against a backdrop of changing migration statistics, with the government reporting a significant decrease in channel crossings compared to the previous year. However, the logistical challenges for local areas like Portsmouth, which lack the processing infrastructure of designated ports like Dover, remain a point of contention. The response involved multiple agencies and cross-border cooperation, reflecting the complex operational and political dimensions of managing small boat arrivals and the public reaction to them.