Anti-migrant protesters block traffic at Port of Dover

Hundreds of masked people blocked traffic at England's Port of Dover on Saturday as part of an anti-migrant protest, halting ferry traffic between France and the UK.

Video footage showed demonstrators in balaclavas chanting "stop the boats," in a reference to refugees and migrants who attempt the dangerous English channel crossing in a bid to reach Great Britain.

This came despite the fact that crossing dropped 40% between January and August 2026 compared to the previous year. However, the perceived threat of migrant boats has become a rallying cry for the far-right Reform UK party.

Police said that they were "engaging" with protesters and that normal traffic had resumed at the port after several hours.

Government condemns 'travel disruption'

"The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused," said a spokesman for the government of Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Under Burnham and his predecessor Keir Starmer, migrant crossings have been greatly reduced in part due to closer cooperation with French authorities.

Dover is the UK's biggest international ferry port, handling some 15,000 passengers a day during the summer and welcoming more than a third of the UK's trade goods with the European Union.