A Portsmouth grandma kayaked solo to drop off supplies to masked protestors in the sea.
The local granny, named online as Joy, paddled out in a canoe to the masked men, who trying to prevent migrants from leaving the city.
Video taken by those involved in the action showed Joy paddling up to the men in the sea at Hayling Island before handing them battery packs and water.
Hundreds of protesters were in a standoff with police overnight and roads were blocked for hours by crowds of people wearing all black and face masks in similar scenes to those at the Port of Dover on Saturday.
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Police supported UK Border Force in dealing with people who have been escorted ashore in Eastney after being found in the English Channel.
It’s understood they will be processed as is routine for small boats.
On Monday, a government spokesperson 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.’
Days after Dover was brought to a standstill, groups of masked ‘patriots’ blockaded a coach carrying groups of people thought to have landed on Sunday.
In a livestream from Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – an associate of the right-wing activist Tommy Robinson – compared the action to a ‘call to help people stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk’
He then stood knee-deep in the sea as he encouraged people to bring boats to Portsmouth and form a blockade.
On his own footage, he approaches police officers to claim responsibility for organising the Dover protests, only stopping as he appears to be sick.
Still standing in the sea as night falls, he tells police: ‘If you get them back on those boats and send them to France we will get out of the water.’
Reform’s economic spokesman Robert Jenrick posted an hour before people started arriving a video of a boat, adding: ‘The invasion comes to Portsmouth.
‘Home of the Royal Navy. Reform will end this humiliation.’
Cllr George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, wrote in a post on X that ‘over 100 migrant men’ had arrived on the Portsmouth shores on Sunday.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted: ‘This week Andy Burnham struck an agreement for 45 more officers on French beaches. Today a boat launched from Baie de Seine, 170 miles from Calais, arriving on the beaches of Hampshire for the very first time. This is a joke. Only Reform will send the boats back.’
Conservative MP for MP for Isle of Wight East, Joe Robertson, posted: ‘Extremely concerning to see an illegal migrant crossing this far west.
‘We don’t know if this migrant boat was headed for the Isle of Wight but I’ll be contacting the Home Office first thing. We need to know exactly what happened and if new routes are being used for mega-dinghies by people smugglers.’
How has the government reacted?
A government spokesperson early on Monday morning: ‘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.’
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson 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.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘This Government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election.
‘We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.
‘But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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