Anti-migration protest draws crowds in Southampton

Signs, flags and people dressed in redcoats took their disapproval of current migration policies to the streets of Southampton. 

Hundreds of protesters took to Highfield Lane on 26^th of October, as part of a series of anti-immigration protests across the UK.

The rallies sparked a wave of counter protests, continuing pattern of public gatherings on both sides. 

This is not the first anti-immigration protest Southampton has seen. There have been repeated demonstrations outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers.

Data from the Home office shows that more than 1,011 applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, a 14% increase on last year.

And this summer, Channel crossings passed 25,00 faster than any previous year since records began.

Anti migration protesters argued that migration numbers were “ridiculous” and that the high number of asylum seekers is “unsustainable”.

Some also raised concerns about access to the NHS and housing, which they claim is “being made worse by mass migration”. 

On the other hand, counter protestors said that migration is “not at all a problem” and that these types of demonstrations “are not real British values”.

Statistics from YouGov show that, at a national level, police-recorded hate crimes increased by 2% across England and Wales, including a 6% rise in race-hate crimes and a 3% rise in religious hate crimes over the previous year.

Pro-migration demonstrators highlighted that they are “acceptant of everyone regardless of nationality, race or religion” and that the asylum hotels are “not a problem to the nation at all”. 

The police said both protests were peaceful overall, although one arrest was made. 

In total about 600 people took part in the anti-racism march and 400 in the anti-immigration protest.