On the night of the 6th local time, off the coast of the port city of Portsmouth in Hampshire, southern England.

As anti-immigration protesters attempt to leap into the water to block the landing of migrants who crossed the English Channel in boats, British police officers already stationed in the water intercept them.

The migrant boat, which departed from the Bay of the Seine in northwestern France carrying about 140 people, sailed 110 kilometers and arrived in Portsmouth, UK, that afternoon.

Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

Having ultimately failed to block the migrants from landing, the anti-immigration protesters violently clashed with police on the coastal road in an attempt to stop the buses transporting the migrants to an asylum center.

Some protesters even circled a Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat that had escorted the migrant boats out at sea, jeering at the crew.

[Anti-Immigration Protester in the UK: Helping immigrants. It's absolutely terrible!]

The standoff between the anti-immigration protesters and the police continued until early the next morning.

[Emma Reynolds / British Treasury Chief Secretary and Labour MP: I believe in the right to peaceful protest, but what we witnessed in Portsmouth clearly crossed the line. It was violent and threatening behavior.]

A day earlier, an anti-immigration protest took place in Dover, another port city in the UK, where the majority of migrant boats departing from France usually arrive.

So far this year, the number of migrants entering the UK via small boats has reached its lowest level since 2020, dropping 43% compared to last year.

However, the right-wing populist Reform UK party, which surged in popularity during the local elections across England last May, has characterized asylum claims by small boat migrants as an "invasion" and rallied support, making the migration issue one of the most volatile political flashpoints in the UK.

(Video Editing: Choi Hye-ran)