Six arrested at protest as migrants 'at sea for 36 hours' arrive in Dover

A migrant boat with 51 people on board has arrived in Dover after spending 36 hours at sea.

The French coastguard - which shadowed the boat after it left Normandy on Monday - said those on board were "determined to take all risks" to reach the UK.

RNLI vessels met the dinghy on Tuesday, and transferred the migrants to a Border Force vessel.

It was thought that they would be taken to Gosport, Hampshire, but the boat headed east along the coast instead.

Local MP Dame Caroline Dinenage had said that the Home Office had told her it was "increasingly likely" the boat would be taken to Gosport - and hundreds of protesters gathered at the marina.

A group of men dressed in black, several with face coverings, stood at the front as the crowd chanted "send them back".

Hampshire Police said some "became hostile towards officers", and they arrested six people for offences including assaulting an emergency worker, aggravated trespass and careless driving.

The force also sent officers to Portsmouth, and said it was also investigating a video showing "damage being caused to a boat in the English Channel".

Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, the founder of the anti-migration group Patriot Platform, which protested in Portsmouth and Dover this month, had shared a YouTube livestream of the boat at sea.

The migrants arrived in Dover on Wednesday morning, with pictures showing them disembarking with their personal belongings.

Around a dozen protesters were spotted and police blocked off a nearby road.

It's thought the dinghy set off close to Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux. Departures as far west as Normandy are rare as it makes the crossing much longer.

The RNLI confirmed it had met the boat at the request of the UK coastguard, who were worried about the safety and "deteriorating health" of those on board.

"At this point, they had been at sea for 36 hours," said the RNLI.

It said it later transferred the occupants to the Border Force boat.

A government spokesperson said of the latest arrival: "The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border and will continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival."

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Earlier this month, a dinghy was met by lifeboats from the Isle of Wight after leaving from the Cherbourg area, triggering protests in Portsmouth.

It is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat in the Channel.

Officials said at the time they believed it was a one-off rather than a sign of new tactics.

Wednesday's arrival comes after five people were detained after a migrant boat reached the Kent coast at Folkestone on Monday morning without being intercepted.

The Home Office said an investigation has been launched.

Around 17,480 migrants have arrived after crossing the Channel by boat so far this year. The total so far for 2026 is down 46% on the same point last year.

(c) Sky News 2026: Six arrested at protest as migrants 'at sea for 36 hours' arrive in Dover