Published6 October 2026, 09:19 BST
A man has been charged after a protest over migrant arrivals in a Hampshire town.
The Home Office said 149 migrants were picked up on Sunday in a mid-Channel rescue operation by the RNLI, alongside a French vessel, and were brought ashore at Gosport.
Flares were set off and there were scuffles with police during a stand-off involving about 150 anti-migrant demonstrators.
Jamie Bennett has been charged with failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction. The 38-year-old, of Thyme Avenue in Whiteley, Fareham, has been bailed to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 26 November.
Police made 12 arrests following the protest on Haslar Road, 11 men aged between 22 and 59, and a 57-year-old woman.
Suspected offences included assaulting police officers, affray and racially aggravated public order.
The remaining 10 men and one woman have been bailed pending further inquiries.
Police said a small number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries but none were seriously hurt.
Some demonstrators stopped police vans from advancing by standing in front of them and chanting "shame on you" and "deport the lot".
A 59-year-old man from Gosport on suspicion of racially aggravated public order
A 39-year-old man from Emsworth on suspicion of offences including criminal damage, attempted criminal damage and possession of a pyrotechnic article at a protest
A 29-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of obstruction of a highway after ambulances were prevented from travelling along Clayhall Road
A 42-year-old man from Fareham on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place
A 22-year-old man from Gosport on suspicion of affray and racially aggravated public order
A 56-year-old man from Gosport on suspicion of assaulting a police officer
A 57-year-old woman from Emsworth on suspicion of assaulting a police officer
A 36-year-old man from Bognor Regis on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction and failing to comply with the conditions of a dispersal order
A 35-year-old man from Gosport on suspicion of assault by beating of an emergency worker and failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction
A 45-year-old man from Gosport on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly in a public place
A 29-year-old man from Portsmouth on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction
Five people were also issued with Section 35 dispersal notices.
The migrants were brought into Gosport onboard an RNLI boat. They were then taken by coach to a processing centre in Kent.
A Home Office spokesperson refused to explain why Gosport had been chosen on this occasion, saying they do not comment on "operational processes".
Last month, more than 100 migrants landed at Eastney in Portsmouth leading to scuffles between police and demonstrators.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Refugees and asylum seekers
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