Anti-Migrant Protests Escalate in Portsmouth and Dover

Hundreds of anti-migrant protesters gathered in Portsmouth after about 140 migrants rescued from a Channel dinghy were brought ashore, blocking roads and attempting to obstruct their transfer to a processing centre in Kent; demonstrators clashed with riot police, who escorted the migrants away. The protest followed a separate blockade at Dover less than 48 hours earlier, when masked demonstrators caused about four miles of congestion and disrupted passengers, freight and ferry services. Several officers were injured and vehicles damaged, prompting investigations into alleged assaults and criminal damage, although no arrests had initially been reported in either city. The demonstrations were linked to Patriot Platform leader Daniel Thomas, known as “Danny Tommo,” a former Tommy Robinson associate and convicted kidnapper who says his movement is nonviolent. Officials, including Policing Minister Sarah Jones and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, condemned intimidation, violence and disorder while affirming the right to peaceful protest. Separately, families of 10 Pakistani crew members abducted from the HONOUR 25 by Somali pirates protested outside Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, alleging police assaulted and detained demonstrators before releasing them; representatives said the ransom demand had fallen from $3 million to $1.9 million while the hostages remained captive for more than four months.