Three charged with assault after anti-migration protests in Hampshire

Three people have been charged in connection with anti-migrant protests which drew hundreds of demonstrators to a marina in Hampshire on Tuesday night.Six people were arrested by police, as anti-migrant activists who mistakenly believed a small boat was due to arrive at Gosport gathered in an attempt to disrupt the arrival of any asylum seekers.Those charged are Shannon Dodds, 32, of Leonard Road in Gosport, who has been charged with two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker, Sally Pearson, 31, of Forton Road in Gosport, who has been charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker and a racially aggravated public order offence, and Toby Matthews, 33, of Forton Road in Gosport, who has been charged with common assault of an emergency worker.Dodds and Pearson have been remanded in custody and will appear at Portsmouth magistrates court on Thursday 24 September.Matthews was bailed but must appear at Portsmouth magistrates court on 9 November.Hampshire-police" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="138336" data-entity-type="organization">Hampshire police said in addition to these charges, a 19-year-old man and a 36-year-old man from Salisbury who were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass “have been bailed with conditions until 22 December while enquiries continue”.They added: “A 67-year-old man from Gosport was also given a fixed-penalty notice for driving without due care and attention. He was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and has been bailed with conditions until 22 December while enquiries continue.”The protests in Gosport followed a social media push by far-right activist Daniel Thomas, who styles himself Danny Tommo, who called for action to disrupt the potential arrival of asylum seekers as he livestreamed efforts to apprehend small boats crossing the channel to more than 100,000 followers on Tuesday afternoon.He is also now facing a police inquiry after he used a knife to slash an inflatable dinghy in the Channel while a rescue worker was onboard.His livestream showed him approaching an empty dinghy which had contained about 50 migrants who had reportedly left from a beach in Normandy. They had been picked up by two RNLI lifeboats once they had reached the UK search and rescue area, but a French official then got on to the craft.The footage showed Thomas taking out a knife and slashing at the vessel in the channel, and shouting at the French rescue worker: “Right, you are on English territory. This is England. This is not France any more.”“Traitor,” Thomas shouted as his boat motored away.The protesters in Gosport, many of whom wore black clothing and face coverings, chanted “send them back”, wrongly assuming the boat would arrive on the Hampshire coast.Instead of heading for Gosport, the RNLI transferred the asylum seekers to a Border Force vessel which landed in Dover early on Wednesday.Hampshire-police" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="138336" data-entity-type="organization">Hampshire police said they had deployed officers to the town on Tuesday evening “to help facilitate peaceful protest, ensure the safety of the local community and support partners in the event of any emergency at sea”.A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have been clear that groups creating fear and intimidating communities cannot be allowed to operate with impunity.“Police should make full use of the powers available to them to deal robustly with criminality and ensure communities, staff and those in their care are protected.”Campaign group Stand Up To Racism described the incident as “disgusting” in a post on X, and said Thomas’s supporters in Gosport had blocked ambulances during the protests.