UK Government Condemns Anti-Migrant Protests

Britain’s government has condemned anti-migrant protests that disrupted roads and ferry traffic in the English coastal cities of Portsmouth and Dover.

Hundreds of people gathered in Portsmouth on Sunday after about 140 migrants arrived by crossing the English Channel from France, UK media reported. Emma Reynolds, the chief secretary to the Treasury, described the protest as “thuggish and intimidating” and said police brought it under control.

The Portsmouth demonstration followed a protest at Dover on Saturday, where hundreds of masked people blocked traffic around the port. Video showed demonstrators, reportedly backed by far-right groups, wearing balaclavas and chanting “stop the boats,” a reference to migrants and refugees attempting to cross the Channel to reach Britain.

The Dover protest created a traffic jam stretching about four miles, or 6.4 kilometers, and temporarily stopped traffic into and out of the ferry port. The Labour government said the right to peaceful protest remains fundamental to democracy, but condemned the behavior and the disruption caused in Dover.

Britain has struggled for years to reduce small-boat crossings from France. Reynolds said arrivals had fallen 43% from the previous year, to about 17,000 so far this year.

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The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused.