Hampshire Police seek six men after anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth
Police released images of six men wanted in connection with disorder at Eastney Marina on 6 September. Officers and vehicles were damaged as hundreds blocked coaches carrying migrants.
Six men sought after Portsmouth anti-migrant disorder
Hampshire Police have released images of six men they wish to identify in connection with an anti-migrant protest at Eastney Marina in Portsmouth, bbc.com reports.
The demonstration took place on 6 September, when hundreds of protesters blocked roads in an attempt to prevent coaches carrying 120 migrants from leaving the city. The migrants had crossed the Channel by dinghy, departing from near Cherbourg in the Bay of the Seine — roughly 170 miles west of Calais — and were brought ashore at Eastney Landing rather than the usual processing point at Dover.
Several police, coastguard and Border Force vehicles were damaged during the evening. Seven officers received treatment for injuries at the scene, though none in attendance suffered serious harm.
Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson urged anyone who recognises the six men to come forward. "The reality of public order policing is that arrests at the time are not always possible, especially where evidence may need to be reviewed to clearly identify who is responsible for offences," Rowlinson said.
The force said it had reviewed "hundreds of hours' worth" of footage gathered since the incident. "The actions we have been taking as part of our investigation send a clear warning to anyone intent on causing disruption and disorder at any future events," he added.
On Friday, a 42-year-old man from Paulsgrove was charged with violent disorder and assaulting a police officer and remanded into custody. A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday in connection with the disorder and released on bail pending further enquiries.
The government condemned what it described as "intimidating and thuggish behaviour" at the demonstration, while affirming the right to peaceful protest.
Around 500 anti-migrant protesters had gathered in Portsmouth on the Saturday and were met by hundreds of counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism.
Border Force and the coastguard decided to land the group at Eastney because transferring them to Dover would have added four to five hours to a journey that had already lasted around ten hours, and would have required lifeboats to operate outside their normal patrol area. Vessels from Bembridge and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight assisted in the operation.
Migration analysts say people smugglers may be testing new departure points to avoid heavy police presence in Calais and Dunkirk. RNLI crew members who took part in the rescue were subsequently targeted by protesters, who posted their photographs and names on social media with accusations of treason.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)