The rippling fallout from Portsmouth’s migrant arrivals

Former Royal Navy submariner Aaron Ball, from Eastleigh, argued that the protests reflected “the feeling of the British people”.

“Every successive government has failed to tackle the root causes of the migrant crisis,” he said. “The small boats, or not-so-small boats, they still come.

“You can legislate, put in place anti-racism, anti-hate laws, and other things you can enforce to keep people safe, but it doesn’t change how people see things – that law doesn’t change how people feel or what people believe.”

In a message to the BBC, Glen, who did not give his surname, wrote: “I support the protests 100%, people feel like they’re under attack.”

Others described Saturday’s protest marches as disruptive and “a bit too much”, including students whose accommodation block was closed as a safety precaution.

“They had to lock down the building that we’re staying in, because it could have got too violent,” said Joshua Lindley, who complained the rallies were “ruining the whole vibe of the city”.

Fellow student, Arjun Thandi, added: “It’s just causing more inconvenience.”

One elderly lady said the weekend’s protests compelled her to avoid the city centre altogether, so she and a friend got on the bus to shop in Fareham instead.