French police officers watch migrants returning to the beach after a failed attempt to reach Britain in Gravelines. (AP File Photo)
U.K. police said they arrested six protesters after an anti-immigration demonstration in southern England “became hostile towards officers,” as a boat carrying migrants spent 36 hours crossing the Channel from France.
Facing a crackdown from French and British authorities, migrants desperate to cross to the U.K. have been adopting new strategies in recent months, including relying on larger dinghies and utilizing new routes.
That has sparked renewed anger in England, with antiimmigrant protesters gathering in southern coastal towns with plans to foil the arrival of asylum seekers.
Around 200 protesters gathered on Sept. 22 in Gosport in the south to protest the anticipated arrival of a migrant boat, U.K. media said.
The flimsy vessel had spent 36 hours at sea according to the U.K.’s volunteer coastguard.
The dinghy carrying 51 migrants landed in Dover in the southeast instead.
French authorities said migrants on board the “ill-suited” boat had refused assistance because they were “determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.”
