Men identifying as 'migrant hunters' reportedly clashed with police on French beaches while attempting to prevent small boats from leaving for the UK. Photos from Calais show activists confronting France's CRS riot police as migrants approached the shore. French aid organization Utopia 56 stated that the activists, believed to be British, confronted both migrants and police along the west coast. Allegations include one activist shouting, 'I don't speak to black people,' and others waking migrants in nearby camps to inform them they were 'not welcome.' Some activists were seen making Nazi salutes, with Utopia 56 noting an escalation in confrontations.
The group is said to have incited an anti-migrant protest in Gosport, Hampshire, after alerting demonstrators about a boat carrying 149 migrants. The vessel was assisted by two RNLI lifeboats in the English Channel after departing from Normandy. Hampshire Police reported 12 arrests following a gathering of about 350 protesters at Fort Blockhouse, where migrants disembarked.
The recent events follow a ban on ten Britons by the French interior ministry for inciting violence and threatening public order, including far-right activist Daniel Thomas, who was later detained in Belgium. Thomas is currently in custody after pleading not guilty to charges related to damaging a migrant dinghy in the English Channel.
This autumn, at least four major anti-migrant protests have occurred along the south coast of Britain, including in Dover, Portsmouth, and Gosport. On Sunday, police issued a dispersal order in Gosport, leading to multiple arrests for various offenses, including assaulting a police officer and racially aggravated public order offenses.
A protester named Toby expressed skepticism towards the police, stating, 'There are a lot of people that take it too far, but how can you trust the police when they're doing this?' Migrants arriving at the port were transported to the Home Office's processing center in Manston, Kent. The Home Office confirmed that 418 migrants reached the UK on Sunday, with Monday's arrivals expected to exceed 500. A Home Office spokesman acknowledged the efforts of police in managing the demonstration and stated that contingency plans are in place for small boat arrivals.