UK Minister Condemns ‘Thuggish’ Anti-Migrant Protests in Portsmouth

British minister Emma Reynolds has condemned a large anti-migrant demonstration in the English coastal city of Portsmouth, describing the protesters’ actions as “thuggish and intimidating.”

Hundreds of demonstrators blocked streets in Portsmouth late Sunday as they gathered in opposition to the arrival of migrants who had crossed the English Channel from France.

The protest was the second major anti-migrant demonstration in southern England within two days. On Saturday, masked protesters disrupted traffic at the port of Dover while chanting “Stop the boats”, a slogan commonly associated with opposition to migrants arriving in Britain by small boats.

Reynolds, the UK’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said police had managed to bring the Portsmouth protest under control but acknowledged that its scale was unusual.

“Perhaps the scale of the protest was something that we hadn’t seen before, but the police have brought this under control,” Reynolds told Sky News.

She also expressed concern about how quickly the demonstration appeared to have been organised, particularly as some far-right groups had called for protests.

The demonstrations followed the arrival of about 140 migrants in Portsmouth after they crossed the Channel, according to the BBC.

Reynolds said the behaviour of protesters was unacceptable.

“This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour,” she said.

Britain has faced persistent political and public pressure over the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small, often overcrowded inflatable boats.

The government says arrivals are currently down compared with the previous year, with Reynolds putting the decline at about 43% and the number of arrivals at roughly 17,000.

However, the issue remains politically sensitive, with the number of migrants travelling on individual boats increasing as people smugglers alter their methods.

The Portsmouth arrival also marks a notable change from the more familiar pattern of small boats landing around Dover and other parts of Kent.

The latest demonstrations are likely to intensify debate in Britain over migration, border security and the government’s handling of asylum seekers, while authorities face the challenge of preventing protests from escalating into violence or intimidation.