Mega-dinghy arrivals fuel UK anti-migrant protests
The arrival of 140 migrants, who were crammed onto a single boat to cross the English Channel on a 10-hour journey, has led to a large protest criticised as "intimidating". Hundreds gathered in Portsmouth, on the UK’s south coast, to demonstrate against migrants arriving by small boats, which are being packed tighter by people smuggling gangs in response to a crackdown by the French authorities.…
A protest erupted in Portsmouth after a single boat carrying 140 migrants crossed the English Channel, drawing criticism for its intimidating nature. The overcrowded dinghy, launched in the Bay of the Seine, France, traveled 273km to reach UK waters, a journey longer than typical migrations. French rescue boats shadowed the vessel for 10 hours before the coastguard and lifeboats took the migrants ashore near Portsmouth on Sunday.
Organized by far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, the demonstration aimed to prevent migrants from being transported to the Manston processing centre in Kent. Kent Police deemed the protest "spontaneous," but Hampshire Police now have a dispersal order until Monday evening to maintain order. Government minister Emma Reynolds condemned the protests as "thuggish and intimidating."
Despite a 40% decrease in migrant arrivals by small boat compared to the same period last year, people smugglers are cramming more migrants onto the boats to compensate, with some vessels holding up to 230 migrants, equivalent to the capacity of an aircraft. The Home Office emphasizes their efforts to curb dangerous small boat crossings and control the border, preventing over 48,000 crossing attempts and seizing 1,100 boats and engines since the election.
However, they pledge to continue their collaboration with France, increasing resources by 40% on French beaches to further reduce illegal migration.
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