Hundreds of anti-migrant protesters gathered in Gosport, a town in Hampshire, on Tuesday evening, believing a small boat carrying migrants would arrive there. The group had formed near the local marina after reports suggested the migrants were en route. However, the vessel carrying the migrants did not arrive in Gosport as expected. Instead, it continued eastward and was expected to reach Dover by around 10pm. Local MP Dame Caroline Dinenage had previously been informed by the Home Office that a small boat might need to be disembarked in the area, but she later confirmed that the migrants would be taken to Dover by water. She expressed relief, saying she had argued all day with the Home Office against the idea of disembarking the boat in Gosport. The protesters, many of whom wore black clothing and face coverings, gathered at the marina and chanted "send them back." Some members of the group left the protest site around 8:30pm as the boat continued its journey. The migrants had spent over 33 hours at sea in a small boat, which had been monitored by the French coastguard. They had refused assistance during the journey and were determined to reach the UK despite the dangerous conditions. British rescue vessels were sent to collect the migrants from the boat, and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed they would be transferred to the Border Security Command. The boat had left the Normandy coast on Monday morning, reportedly departing near the village of Vierville-sur-Mer. It was tracked by a French coastguard vessel and was also live-streamed by Daniel Thomas, a member of the anti-migration group Patriot Platform. Thomas has previously organized protests in Portsmouth and Dover. UK authorities have been working to manage small boat arrivals further along the coast, and a government spokesperson emphasized that the Border Security Command operates 24/7 to protect the UK’s borders. Earlier this month, a similar boat was intercepted after leaving the Cherbourg area, leading to protests in Portsmouth. That journey was considered one of the longest recorded in the English Channel. Recently, a migrant boat reached the Kent coast without being intercepted, landing in Folkestone. This was the first such undetected landing in a year, and the government has launched an investigation into how it happened. Defence minister Luke Pollard insisted that the UK’s borders remain secure, despite the incident. As of now, no small boat arrivals to the UK coast without an escort have been officially recorded since September 6 of last year.