Masked Protesters Block Access to England’s Dover Port
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- Masked protesters blocked both approaches to Dover port, disrupting traffic and affecting all routes into and out of the terminal.
- Right-wing activist Tommy Robinson said the protest opposed migrants arriving in the United Kingdom by small boats, while the port described it as a public-order incident.
- The blockade caused about 6.4 kilometers of congestion, but ferry operators said services would continue and passengers who missed departures would be accommodated.
Masked protesters blocked access to the port of Dover on Saturday, disrupting routes into and out of the terminal and causing traffic delays across the area.
The protest affected both directions of the A20, according to National Highways, which reported about 6.4 kilometers of congestion and delays of up to 30 minutes. Videos posted online showed dozens of people dressed in black and wearing balaclavas gathered near the port.
British far-right activist Tommy Robinson said the demonstration opposed migrants arriving in the United Kingdom in small boats across the English Channel. In a post on X, he described the protesters as British men protesting what he called an “invasion” of the country.
Hundreds of British men, dressed in black balaclavas, have taken to the streets of Dover to block it in protest against the invasion of our country by illegal fighting-age men who have no right to be here.
Dover port confirmed that the incident involved public order and affected both the port approaches and the town. Kent Police said officers were at the scene and were interacting with the protesters.
Mike Tapp, the Labour member of Parliament for Dover and Deal, criticized the demonstrators. He said small-boat arrivals had fallen by 40% and that work was under way to address the issue. P&O Ferries said its sailings were continuing and that passengers who missed a departure would be moved to the next available service. DFDS said it would accommodate passengers once they reached the port.
I am sick of idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption. I bet if you asked any of those protesters, they would not know that boat arrivals have fallen by 40% and that we are working to solve the situation.
Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. 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.