Protesters gathered in the UK coastal town of Gosport, as a large number of migrants intercepted at sea were taken ashore there. The town is located around 180 kilometers away from Dover, which is the typical landing site of people rescued at sea in the English Channel.
A total of 149 migrants were picked up during a rescue operation in the English Channel and brought to safety to the town of Gosport on the southern coast of Britain, located next to Portsmouth.
Once on land, they were sent by coach to a migrant processing center in Kent, which due to its proximity to the French coast has nearly all facilities associated with the reception and care of migrants arriving irregularly.
At these holding facilities, the migrants will undergo health, security and biometric checks.
Read AlsoUK: More than 1,000 migrants arrive on small boats, as anti-migrant protests increase
The migrant boat had reportedly departed from a site near Utah Beach in Normandy on October 4, according to ship tracking data — known as the World War II landing site of the allied invasion to liberate Europe in 1944.
Sizeable protest in Gosport
Some locals in Gosport gathered for a protest against their arrival. According to the BBC, the protesters numbered around 150 people. Authorities cordoned off an area near the town's marina.
Some scuffles with police were reported from the scene of the protest, which otherwise remained peaceful. The demonstration reportedly lasted several hours, during which some flares were also let off.
Local reports detailed that some of the protesters had left "debris, barricades and nails on the roads, and had started a couple of small fires," the BBC said.
A few people were also seen attempting to stop police vans by standing in front of them, chanting anti-migrant slogans.
Read AlsoFrance: Migrants attempt increasingly more difficult journeys to reach Britain
Police commissioner frustrated with ongoing situation
According to the BBC, Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones meanwhile called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to "intervene urgently to ensure that UK Border Force had the capacity and vessels to transfer people on the water to Dover" instead of taking the land route.
"No sites across the southern coastline of Britain should be used as 'landing sites'. We are not equipped and we do not have the resources to keep policing this," Jones said, stressing that the management of such protests was severely eating into the local police budget.
More departures from remote sections of French coast
A Home Office spokesperson meanwhile said that the ministry did not comment on "operational processes" such as the choice of landing site chosen for the disembarkation of intercepted migrants.
Irregular journeys across the Channel are extremely dangerous in what is the busiest shipping lane in the world; nearly all migrant boats are ill-equipped for the crossing.
Read AlsoFrance-UK border: Migrant crossings from Seine Maritime are on the rise
Historically, crossing attempts from remote parts of France's northern coast, such as Normandy, were viewed as an exception; however, amid significantly beefed up patrols elsewhere on the coast hindering migrants from embarking on such journeys, the rate of crossings from such regions has been on the rise lately.
In the past month alone, there have been three such crossings, as smugglers appear to look for novel ways to continue with their illegal trade.
To date this year, 19,451 people are known to have crossed the English Channel in small boats to reach the UK.
Despite the fact that this figure shows a 43 percent drop in arrivals compared to last year, anti-migrant sentiment continues to grow in the UK, with far-right parties continuing to gain support for their anti-migrant stance.
Read AlsoUK Home Secretary signals intention to offer more safe and legal routes to migrants