Dozens of anti-migrant protesters entered the water off Portsmouth as 140 asylum seekers, rescued from an overcrowded large dinghy that had been permitted to depart France, were brought ashore.

The demonstrators ran across Eastney Beach and into the Solent yesterday afternoon, shouting “stop the boats” and “enough is enough” as the migrants arrived aboard a British coastguard vessel.

The scenes marked the second significant anti-migrant protest in the UK in as many days, following Saturday’s disruption that forced the Port of Dover to close.

More than 500 protesters had assembled along the Hampshire shoreline, with some wading into the sea about four miles from Britain’s main Royal Navy base in Portsmouth to object to the migrants’ arrival and call for them to be sent back to France.

The large dinghy had departed from Normandy, an indication that people-smuggling gangs may be widening their launch sites along as much as 200 miles of the French coast from Calais in an effort to avoid enforcement operations.

But rather than intervene, the French coastguard shadowed the vessel for ten hours, claiming it was too dangerous because of the number of people on board.

British lifeboats, supported by a helicopter and a plane, then took over and brought the migrants to the UK.

Following calls to action on social media, hundreds arrived vowing to stop the migrants being transported by coach to a processing centre in Kent. Protesters spent at least five hours on the beach and in the water.

The crowd, which grew to more than 500 people, later tried to block the only road out to stop coachloads of migrants leaving, leading to clashes with police as riot officers were deployed.

The demonstration continued until 3am on Monday, when police threatened arrests after a dispersal order was imposed.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘The last 24 hours have seen multiple violations of the UK border by mega dinghies full of illegal immigrants which the French authorities have allowed to depart.

‘Andy Burnham and Shabana Mahmood have been boasting about French action, but hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving in just a few hours shows this is not working 

‘Their weak approach is leaving our border wide open, with almost 20,000 illegal immigrants crossing so far this year. Only rough seas have prevented even more crossings.’ 

The Tory police and crime commissioner for Hampshire has said it is a ‘significant issue’ for the Government if people traffickers shift their destinations across England’s south coast away from Dover.

Government minister Emma Reynolds today called the 500 protesters ‘thuggish and intimidating’.

The Treasury Chief Secretary said: ‘I absolutely support people’s right to peaceful protest. But this crosses a line and I just want to take the opportunity to thank the police and other emergency services who have brought this under control.’

Eastney is close to the Port of Portsmouth and the HM Naval Base, home to six Royal Navy destroyers and its two flagship aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

In protest footage shared on social media, a riot officer appeared to be pushed from his motorbike as demonstrators, many wearing caps and hoods, shouted: ‘Shame on you.’

Further clips showed officers carrying shields ordering the crowd to ‘get back’ before pushing some protesters away from a nearby police van.

The demonstrators remained in the area until almost midnight amid chaotic scenes and multiple clashes with officers near the waterfront.

The protest is thought to have been spearheaded by Daniel Thomas, the Tommy Robinson associate from Portsmouth whose Patriot Platform group organised a mass demonstration in Dover on Saturday.

Livestreaming the protest Thomas – also known as Danny Tommo – said: ‘It was only yesterday (in Dover) when we warned them that we will not accept this any more, and that it is no longer an option to tell us the boat numbers are down.

‘This isn’t about the numbers being down. This is about understanding that this has to come to an end now.’

However, unlike in Dover, the hundreds of protesters this time chose not to wear masks or balaclavas, although many were dressed in black.

The dinghy arrived on British shores after setting off from the Bay of the Seine, Normandy. After shadowing for ten hours, the French coastguard had apparently deemed it unsafe to stop the boat on water during what is thought to have been one of the longest Channel crossings ever. 

HM Coastguard sent two lifeboats, a coastguard helicopter, a fixed-wing aircraft  and rescue teams to ensure the asylum seekers reached the British shore safely. 

And in others, riot officers appear to be sprayed with water from super-soakers as dozens watching on record them on their phones. 

Thomas, who livestreamed the event on YouTube, was heard urging his supporters to ‘get in your cars and get down here’ as he stood waist-deep in the sea.

Separate footage meanwhile appeared to show a woman delivering supplies to protesters via canoe. 

The authorities in France have said that it is unusual for a migrant boat to depart from the Bay of the Seine, located some 170 miles from the usual launches in Calais.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said: ‘In response to a report on September 6 of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams. 

‘Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire Police and South Central Ambulance Service were also sent.’

Clips posted online later showed people being ushered off lifeboats to shore, where they were met by several buses.  

Cllr George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, wrote in a post on X that ‘over 100 migrant men’ had arrived in Portsmouth.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage meanwhile posted: ‘A boat launched from Baie de Seine, 170 miles from Calais, arrived on the beaches of Hampshire for the very first time. This is a joke. Only Reform will send the boats back.’

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said officers from other forces had to come to help – and fears that this ‘is just the start’ of protests.

She said: ‘Last night we had mutual aid, public order police officers sent from police forces across the country including the Metropolitan Police Service.

‘We also had a number of our own police officers, obviously, from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary trying to take back control of the roads, forming a line and holding a few hundred protesters back.

‘This is just the start, if this continues, these numbers will grow from the protesters.

‘They were making their point that they don’t want Portsmouth to become a destination’.

She said it will be a ‘significant issue’ for the Government if people traffickers shift their destinations across England’s south coast. 

The crossing to Portsmouth came in the same week Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron met to discuss how to ‘scale up’ efforts to reduce small boat crossings. 

Only last month, a small boat carrying record numbers of migrants – believed to be more than 230 – successfully crossed the English Channel. 

And earlier this week hundreds of anti-migrant protesters donning balaclavas brought the Port of Dover to a standstill. Demonstrators were chanting ‘stop the boats’ while blocking many of the town’s roads. 

Some of those in attendance claimed links to Thomas’s anti-migrant Patriot Platform. 

Kent Police were thought to have been ‘unaware’ that the protest was taking place, leaving them ‘thin on the ground’ as hundreds marched the streets of the town.  

Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal and former Home Office minister, said: ‘I will be looking urgently on Monday to ask questions around why we didn’t know about this, because we do tend to know when protests are coming to the area, and they tend to be peaceful, and laws aren’t broken, and obviously the police have the resources to manage that.

‘But in this instance, it would appear that the police didn’t know about it, and the resources were pretty thin on the ground, to be quite honest from what I saw. We know that laws were broken because they were blocking the roads and wearing face coverings.’

In response, Kent Police told the Daily Mail it was a ‘spontaneous event and was policed accordingly’. 

Police made no arrests and escorted the protesters to Dover Priory train station at around midday.

At least 100 people were seen boarding a train to Ramsgate, with some since spotted in nearby Sandwich where ‘police are in attendance’.

Hard-Right Patriot Platform was founded earlier this year by Daniel Thomas, a convicted kidnapper and associate of Tommy Robinson.

Sharing clips of the protest in Dover to his social media, Thomas wrote: ‘It’s time. Protect Our Country! And more importantly, our women and children! This is our warning.’

A government spokesman said: ‘We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight.

‘The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.

‘We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation.’

Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘This evening, we have been working alongside and assisting our partners from Border Force, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Portsmouth City Council at Eastney Marina following the arrival of a boat crossing the channel.

‘We have officers in the area to ensure the prevention of any disorder. We ask that people please avoid the area. A dispersal order is in place until tomorrow evening. Anyone who refuses to comply with the direction to leave the area is liable for arrest.

‘We can also confirm that Border Force has advised us that Individuals will be transported outside of Hampshire for processing in the normal way after they have been safely disembarked.’

Alicia Vikander brought full red-carpet glamour to Venice on Sunday, arriving in a striking blue ruffled gown alongside her husband, Michael Fassbender, for the premiere of The Echo Chamber.

The 37-year-old Swedish actress cut an elegant figure in the dramatic dress, which featured a thigh-high split and an oversized bow detail across the front.

Commanding attention as she posed for photographers, Alicia later shared a tender kiss with Michael, who was by her side in a show of support.

Michael, 49, looked polished in a classic black tuxedo and sunglasses, smiling as he joined Alicia for photos on the Venice red carpet.

The couple first met while filming The Light Between Oceans in 2014 and went on to marry in October 2017 during an intimate ceremony in Ibiza, Spain.

They welcomed their first son in 2021 and their second son, whose name has not been revealed, earlier in 2024. They now reside in Lisbon, Portugal, with their two children.

The Echo Chamber is a sombre, intimate love story following a drug-addicted music producer Leo (played by Luca Marinelli), and an enigmatic physiotherapist, Anne (played by Alicia). 

Their codependent relationship circles through intense attachment, care, control and separation.

Directed by Andrea Pallaoro, the film serves as a highly anticipated Golden Lion contender and is adapted from the final screenplay penned by legendary Italian film-maker Bernardo Bertolucci before his death.

Alicia was joined on the red carpet by her co-stars Luca Marinelli, Susan Sarandon and director Andrea.

Susan, 79, displayed her incredibly youthful looks in a simplistic strapless black gown and opted for a swipe of red lipstick.

Orlando Bloom made an appearance dressed in an all-black tuxedo as he smiled for photographs.

Meanwhile, Irina Shayk, 40, showcased her model physique in a vintage Dolce & Gabbana dress with racy tie up detailing.

The model recreated fellow runway star Bella Hadid’s 21st birthday look, wearing the exact same dress. 

Ewan McGregor’s daughter Clara looked the epitome of elegance in a glitzy semi-sheer gown which featured a long train.  

Despite having a settled home base, Alicia and Michael lead hectic lives, with Alicia joking they have become ‘nomads’ as they move between homes in four different countries for work.

The couple typically take turns staying at home with their sons while the other is away filming.

Speaking to The Independent, Alicia said: ‘We’ve been in Lisbon; we’ve been in London a lot, and we spend a lot of time in Italy and France. We’re nomads. That’s the hard part with work, we can’t plan far ahead.’

Alicia shared a rare insight into co-parenting with her husband and opened up about her battles with ‘mum guilt’.

The actress made the rare comments during a stylish shoot for British Vogue ahead of her West End debut last year.

While Alicia admitted both her and her husband’s schedules can be gruelling, she said they make sure never to work at the same time in order for one parent to always be at home with the kids.

‘It can be very long days, and a lot of the time you will leave before the kids get up and then maybe not be back before they sleep. So knowing that one parent is always home. With all the parent and mum guilt that you already carry with you constantly – I am battling that a lot, all the time.’

She also spoke about life in Lisbon following the family’s move to Portugal: ‘My husband said he wanted to surf every day. We’re on the beach with the kids every weekend we are there.’

A federal judge in California, appointed by former President Joe Biden, has directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release David Antonio Aviles-Perez, whom federal officials identify as an MS-13 gang member wanted in El Salvador in connection with an aggravated murder case. President Donald Trump designated MS-13 a foreign terrorist organization in 2025.

Aviles-Perez, described by authorities as an illegal alien with a lengthy criminal record in the United States, was released from ICE custody on Wednesday following an order from U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta.

The Department of Homeland Security says Aviles-Perez is the subject of an international warrant out of El Salvador for aggravated murder. Federal officials also cite prior arrests in California involving assault with a deadly weapon, controlled substance possession, and petty theft.

ICE took Aviles-Perez into custody in March after he had been released from local custody following an arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. At the time, DHS sharply criticized California’s sanctuary policies, arguing they had allowed a dangerous criminal alien to return to the community. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said then, “ICE arrested this dangerous criminal illegal alien and MS-13 gang member wanted in El Salvador for murder. Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary policies allowed this gang member to be released from jail after his arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and petty theft. Releasing this gang member back into California neighborhoods put American lives at risk.”

DHS officials say Aviles-Perez entered the United States unlawfully at an unknown time and place. Before the judge’s order, he had been held by ICE while awaiting removal and potential extradition to El Salvador, where authorities are seeking him on the outstanding murder warrant.

The details of the murder Aviles-Perez was convicted of in El Salvador were outlined in a report by the New York Post. According to the Post, the international warrant for his arrest stems from a conviction for a 2014 murder Aviles-Perez committed in his home country.

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In December, authorities in El Salvador sentenced the violent gang member to a term of 20 years in prison for the murder of an enemy with the help of an accomplice. According to the Post’s report, Aviles-Perez, also known as “la bruja” or “the witch,” and his associates shot and killed the victim during a dispute.

According to a police report obtained by the Post, law enforcement authorities in Monterey, California arrested Aviles-Perez after he allegedly attacked a homeless man by swinging a machete at the victim.

Judge Ohta was appointed to the federal bench as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California by President Biden in 2021. She was lauded as being the first Asian Pacific American female judge on the District Court. In her Wednesday ruling, Ohta instructed ICE to release Aviles-Perez, despite the international murder warrant, unless federal authorities prove he poses a danger to the community or is a flight risk. At the time of his last criminal arrest in California, Aviles-Perez was listed as being in a “transient” status.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin expressed his outrage at Ohta’s ruling, saying, “This radical activist judge has put American lives at risk by releasing a wanted murderer. This is now the SECOND time this dangerous illegal has been released back onto the streets in California. Because sanctuary politicians want to play politics from the bench, innocent Americans are in danger. DHS and ICE will not be deterred by these partisan games. If California’s leaders won’t protect Americans, DHS will.”

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.