Coaches carrying 140 asylum seekers could not depart Portsmouth after far-right activists surrounded vehicles at Eastney Beach, delaying transfers to the Manston processing centre in Kent and disrupting port operations. Lifeboats had brought the group ashore after they were transferred from a single dinghy south of the Isle of Wight, and video from the scene showed people being carried to the beach and then lined up beside parked coaches.
HM Coastguard said it mounted a substantial maritime response after receiving a report on 6 September. "In response to a report on 6 September 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," the agency said, adding that "Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire police and south central ambulance service were also sent."
Protesters gathered around the coaches and impeded departure, local footage shows. Portsmouth councillor George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, posted on X that "over 100 migrant men" had landed. A livestream hosted by Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, encouraged viewers to travel to Portsmouth. Thomas, a former bodyguard to Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, founded Patriot Platform, which took part in disruptions at the port of Dover on Saturday. He previously ran a campaign called Operation Overlord that sought to send activists to France to "stop the boats", and French authorities have since banned him after his supporters filmed themselves slashing abandoned dinghies on a French beach.
Officials told reporters this is believed to be the first time a boat this large has been brought into Portsmouth. Most small-boat rescues land on the English side of the Channel, typically in Dover, but authorities say smugglers appear to be adapting by launching from more distant locations, a shift that increases danger for people on board and requires larger, coordinated rescue responses.
The Home Office defended its enforcement work, citing recent seizures and disrupted crossings. "This government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election," it said. "We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."
For now, the arrivals remain bound for Manston and police continue to manage the scene as protesters attempt to prevent the coaches from leaving. Authorities will have to clear the vehicles before transfers resume, while Manston staff prepare to process the new group and maritime agencies assess the risks posed by longer launch routes in cross-Channel crossings.
