DistantNews
Support us
🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Masked men block traffic to UK’s Port of Dover, a site of past anti-immigrant protests

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Hundreds of masked protesters opposing Channel migrant crossings blocked roads to the Port of Dover on Saturday, briefly disrupting ferry traffic between Britain and France.
  • Police said the protest had dispersed and no arrests had been made, while officials and local politicians condemned the disruption and described it as intimidating.
  • The protest reflects continued political tension over small-boat arrivals, which have become a central issue for Britain’s hard right.

Hundreds of masked people protesting migrant crossings in the English Channel blocked access to the Port of Dover on Saturday, briefly halting traffic between southern England and France.

The port said traffic was flowing normally again around noon, after protesters stopped vehicles on roads approaching the terminal in the morning. Local police said the demonstration had dispersed and that no arrests had been made. Initially, protesters blocked all routes in and out of the terminal.

stop the boats

· ProtestersThe chant was heard in an online livestream from the demonstration outside the port.

Images posted online showed crowds dressed in black and wearing balaclavas on roads around the port. In a livestream that appeared to have been filmed by a protester, black-clad men chanted “stop the boats” while facing a police line.

Britain has struggled to curb small-boat crossings that bring tens of thousands of migrants to the shores of southeast England in some years. The issue has been a major focus for the country’s hard right amid growing anti-immigration sentiment. The centre-left Labour government says the number of boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers was the lowest this summer since 2019, partly because of cooperation agreements with France.

British patriots sending a warning shot to the establishment.

· Tommy RobinsonThe far-right anti-Islam figurehead endorsed the protest.

A government spokesperson condemned the protest, while a Reform UK lawmaker called the disruption disgraceful. Local politicians described the balaclava-clad demonstration as intimidating. Far-right anti-Islam figurehead Tommy Robinson supported it, calling the participants “British patriots sending a warning shot to the establishment.” One passenger told Sky News they had been stuck on a boat in Dunkirk for more than an hour and a half, adding: “Stop the boats? Wrong ones!”

The Port of Dover says it handles more than 10,000 freight vehicles and 15,000 passenger vehicles a day during the summer and carries a third of Britain’s goods trade with the European Union. It is the UK’s largest international ferry port.

Stop the boats? Wrong ones!

· Unnamed passengerThe passenger told Sky News about being delayed on a ferry in Dunkirk.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog