Man Charged After Anti-Migrant Protest Erupts in Gosport Following Channel Rescue Landings

A 38-year-old man has been charged in connection with a protest that broke out in a Hampshire coastal town after a large group of migrants was brought ashore, police have confirmed.

Jamie Bennett, of Thyme Avenue in Whiteley, near Fareham, faces a charge of failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction. He has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear before Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 26 November.

The charge relates to an incident on Sunday evening in Gosport, when around 150 demonstrators gathered on Haslar Road in response to the arrival of 149 migrants.

According to the Home Office, the migrants were picked up during a mid-Channel rescue operation involving the RNLI and a French vessel before being brought into the town.

The arrival prompted a tense stand-off between protesters and officers, with flares set off and scuffles breaking out. Footage and witness accounts described demonstrators standing in front of police vans to block their movement, chanting slogans including "shame on you" and "deport the lot".

Hampshire Constabulary said it made 12 arrests at the scene – 11 men aged between 22 and 59, and one 57-year-old woman. The force said suspected offences included assaulting police officers, affray and racially aggravated public order.

Ten of the men and the woman have been bailed while further inquiries continue, meaning no immediate charges have been brought against them at this stage.

Police also confirmed that a small number of officers sustained injuries during the disorder but were treated at the scene. None of the injuries were described as serious.

Among those arrested was a 59-year-old man from Gosport, held on suspicion of racially aggravated public order, and a 39-year-old man from Emsworth, detained over alleged criminal damage, attempted criminal damage and possession of a pyrotechnic article at a protest.

A 29-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of a highway after ambulances were reportedly prevented from travelling along Clayhall Road – an allegation that raises particular concern given the potential risk to emergency response times.

A 42-year-old man from Fareham was held on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place, while a 22-year-old man from Gosport was arrested on suspicion of affray and racially aggravated public order.

Two people – a 56-year-old man from Gosport and a 57-year-old woman from Emsworth – were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. A 36-year-old man from Bognor Regis was held 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 was arrested on suspicion of assault by beating of an emergency worker and failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction, while a 45-year-old man from the same town was held on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.

A 29-year-old man from Portsmouth was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction.

In addition to the arrests, five people were issued with Section 35 dispersal notices, a power that allows police to direct individuals to leave a specified area.

The migrants themselves were brought into Gosport aboard an RNLI lifeboat before being transferred by coach to a processing centre in Kent – a journey that takes them away from the Hampshire coast and into the Home Office's asylum system.

The Home Office declined to explain why Gosport had been selected as the landing point on this occasion, stating only that it does not comment on "operational processes". That refusal is likely to fuel further questions about how such decisions are made and whether affected communities are given sufficient notice.

The incident follows a similar episode last month, when more than 100 migrants landed at Eastney in Portsmouth, leading to scuffles between police and demonstrators. The repetition of such scenes in the same region within weeks suggests tensions over Channel arrivals are becoming entrenched in parts of Hampshire.

The events also highlight the continuing pressure on rescue services operating in the Channel, where the RNLI and French authorities frequently respond to small boats in difficulty. The Home Office said the 149 people were picked up in a mid-Channel rescue operation by the RNLI alongside a French vessel.

For local residents, the sudden arrival of a large group of migrants – and the protest that followed – has reignited a broader national debate about asylum processing, border control and community impact.

Police have not indicated whether further charges are expected as their investigation continues. The 11 people released on bail must return to police at a later date, while Bennett's court appearance in November will be the first test of the charges brought so far.

Hampshire Constabulary has urged the public to allow the legal process to run its course, and has stressed that a small number of officers were injured but none seriously.

The case is likely to draw attention both locally and nationally, given the sensitivity surrounding migrant arrivals and the policing of protests. It also raises questions about how authorities communicate with communities when large-scale landings occur at short notice.

For now, attention turns to Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 26 November, when Bennett is due to answer the charge against him, while the wider investigation into Sunday's disorder remains ongoing.