Batons and synthetic pepper spray were used to repel hundreds of masked, black-clad vigilantes in Portsmouth on Sunday, it has emerged, as the policing minister said officers had been injured as they repelled organised “aggression”. After police contained the weekend’s second disruptive demonstration against asylum seekers travelling to the UK in small boats, it was claimed that officers in Hampshire were pushed off their motorbikes and pelted with bricks. Sarah Jones, the Home Office minister, condemned groups behind the disorder for promoting “racism and thuggery”. Activists wearing balaclavas clashed with police in Portsmouth on Sunday evening after a dinghy reached the UK from Normandy. Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary have launched an investigation into potential assaults and criminal damage. In a statement to MPs, Jones said: “Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary, with the support of other neighbouring forces, used a dispersal notice to ensure public safety and officers were forced to use batons and Pava spray to maintain order in the face of some aggression.” Spencer Wragg, the chair of the Hampshire police federation, said one of the officers injured was a rookie who had only finished training school three days earlier. “Those scenes in that area of Portsmouth weren’t protests, they weren’t protests at all, it was clear that some people were intent on disorder and venting their frustrations,” he said. Under the Crime and Policing Act, Hampshire police could apply for a ban to ensure that protesters cannot cover their faces. Facebook posts claim that a demonstration is planned for Saturday by a group called Portsmouth Patriots. Hampshire police has been approached for comment. Police used batons and pepper spray on far-right protesters in Portsmouth unrest
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