Police deployed batons and synthetic pepper spray to manage hundreds of masked, black-clad individuals in Portsmouth on Sunday. This action came as officers reportedly sustained injuries while responding to what a policing minister described as organised "aggression".
The incident was the second disruptive demonstration of the weekend targeting asylum seekers arriving in the UK via small boats. It was claimed that officers in Hampshire were pushed off motorbikes and hit with bricks. Home Office Minister Sarah Jones criticised the groups involved for promoting "racism and thuggery".
Activists, some wearing balaclavas, clashed with police after a dinghy arrived in the UK from Normandy. Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary has initiated an investigation into potential assaults and criminal damage. Daniel Thomas, a far-right agitator, claimed to have organised the protest, and was also linked to disruption in Dover on Saturday.
In a statement to MPs, Ms Jones confirmed that Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary, supported by other forces, used a dispersal notice and officers were compelled to use batons and Pava spray to maintain order. Spencer Wragg, chair of the Hampshire police federation, stated that one injured officer had completed training just three days prior.