PROTESTERS have been accused of launching rocks and bricks at cops who were “caught off guard” during an anti-migrant demonstration at a busy UK port.
Around 200 people – some wearing face coverings – confronted cops on Sunday night before descending on Eastney ferry port in Portsmouth, where 140 migrants had recently been brought to shore.
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Several vehicles were reportedly damaged and officers injured during the protest.
Cops guarded coaches parked on a roadside not far from the marina, as protesters blocked the flow of traffic and carnage unfolded.
A dispersal order was later put in place, enabling officers to arrest anyone who breached it.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones told the House of Commons that the chaos was “initimidating and thuggish” and said protesters would face the “full force of the law”.
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The boat from Normandy was thought to have made the longest-ever Channel crossing by people smugglers.
It was intercepted in the Solent between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth earlier on Sunday.
Portsmouth City Council said the Home Office had “serious questions to answer” over the decision to bring migrants to shore in the area.
Council leader Steve Pitt said the move had caused “needless disruption”.
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In a statement, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries, none of which were serious.
It said: “Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest.
“No arrests have been made at this time, however an investigation to identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles or other criminal offences has been launched.”
Spencer Wragg, chair of Hampshire Police Federation, said: “I’ve seen footage of officers being pushed off their motorbikes, I’ve seen pictures of police vehicles damaged.
“It appears that the police last night became the target for some of the protest.”
Border Force confirmed that the coaches leaving the dock in the early hours of Monday were transporting “individuals from the boat” for “processing”.
Protesters claim they were trying to stop authorities from ferrying migrants to the Manston centre in Kent.
Reform leader Nigel Farage said the country was on the precipice of “serious civil disturbance” and called on the protests to remain peaceful.
Posting to social media, he said: “Peaceful protest: good. Uniforms and masks: bad. Voting is the only way we get a solution.”
His remarks prompted Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, to urge the Reform leader to be “careful” with his words.
Livestreaming the mayhem, the far-right figurehead had called on his supporters to “get down to Eastney”.
Danny later barged into the frame during Sky News interview with Reform’s spokesperson for home affairs, Zia Yusuf.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, the policing minister said: “Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democracy and it must be defended.
“But so too is the right of other citizens to go about their lives without undue interference – and there can be no excuse for threatening behavior or serious disruption.”
Sarah Jones added: “Let me therefore make clear to the House and to the country that disorder of any kind will never be tolerated and those who cross the line from peaceful protest into illegality will face the full force of the law.”
Responding, shadow home secretary Chris Philp condemned the violence in Portsmouth but added: “This should also be a wake-up call for the government because it’s not just those protesters in Dover and Portsmouth who feel so angry about large-scale illegal immigration.
“It is millions and millions of people up and down this country who feel angry as well.”
It follows a similar incident on Saturday, which saw some 625 masked men assemble at the Port of Dover to protest against small-boat crossings.
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A total of 16,513 people arrived in the UK on small boats up until September 1, 43 per cent less than the same period the previous year.