Police ban face coverings at Portsmouth protest under new powers

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary announced Friday that it would deploy new legal powers to prevent people from wearing masks, balaclavas, or other face coverings at a planned protest in Portsmouth this weekend. The restrictions, drawn from the Crime and Policing Act, will take effect Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and remain in place through Sunday morning across designated areas of the city. Anyone found in violation faces arrest.

The decision follows a week of escalating disorder. On Sunday evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Eastney Marina to block roads and prevent coaches carrying 120 migrants—who had crossed the Channel in a dinghy—from leaving Portsmouth. The disruption lasted into the early hours of Monday. During the confrontation, vehicles belonging to police, the coastguard, and Border Force were damaged. Several officers were treated for injuries at the scene, though no one sustained serious harm. A 42-year-old man named Del Leon Somerville, from Paulsgrove, was charged with violent disorder and assaulting a police officer. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Saturday. Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson indicated that this arrest represents only the beginning of a broader investigation, with several more charges expected.

The police framed the face covering ban as a tool to prevent violence, intimidation, and disorder rather than to suppress legitimate protest. Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo stated that the powers would apply uniformly to all groups attending the demonstration and would be enforced without bias. He emphasized that the measure was designed to help prevent crime and make communities feel safer, not to shut down the right to assemble. A separate order will also grant officers the authority to require individuals to remove masks and items used to conceal identity.

The timing reflects a pattern of masked demonstrations at anti-migrant protests across the region. Similar scenes played out in Dover the day before the Portsmouth disorder, with masked demonstrators visible at that gathering as well. The escalation prompted police to act preemptively ahead of the planned weekend protest.

Danny Thomas, who organized last weekend's demonstrations under the banner of Patriot Platform, announced on social media that his group would not participate in the upcoming Portsmouth event. "No member, organiser, representative, or affiliate of Patriot Platform will attend, speak at, steward, or take part in any event in Portsmouth," he wrote. The statement suggests internal calculation about the risks of further confrontation with police.

Beyond the streets, police also signaled they would pursue online threats and abuse. Assistant Chief Constable Rowlinson noted that RNLI volunteers had been targeted on social media and warned that the force would work with other police agencies to address any online threats made against officers or partner organizations. He characterized Sunday's events not as peaceful protest but as violent public disorder, and said the force would not tolerate such conduct as it works to keep communities safe across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Rowlinson's final statement carried a direct message to potential protesters: "If you break the law we will take action against you and where it is feasible to do so seek a prosecution." The arrest of Somerville, he suggested, was meant to serve as a warning of what awaits those who turn up intending to cause disruption.