Two men from Salisbury are among six people arrested after protests linked to a small boat crossing the English Channel led to confrontations with police in Hampshire. The Salisbury men, aged 19 and 36, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass following events in Gosport on Tuesday, 22 September. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers had been deployed to Gosport and Portsmouth after members of the public who were closely following the movements of a small boat crossing the Channel gathered to protest. Police worked alongside partner agencies including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Security Command as the incident at sea developed. Officers said they were initially deployed to facilitate peaceful protest, protect the local community and support emergency services should an incident occur at sea. However, tensions increased after information emerged that the vessel would be docking elsewhere in the country. Police said a group remained in Gosport and some people became hostile towards officers. Six people were subsequently arrested. Alongside the two Salisbury men, a 67-year-old man from Gosport was arrested on suspicion of careless driving and assaulting an emergency worker. Two women, aged 32 and 31, and a 33-year-old man, all from Gosport, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. Police said all six remained in custody while enquiries continued. The vessel at the centre of the operation ultimately arrived in Dover, Kent, early on Wednesday. Reports said 51 people were aboard after the boat had spent around 36 hours at sea. Police have also confirmed they are making separate enquiries into video circulating online which appears to show damage being caused to a boat in the English Channel during the afternoon of 22 September. Those enquiries remain ongoing. No charges have been announced in relation to the six arrests, and an arrest does not indicate guilt.
Originally published by UKNIP.
