Masked Protesters Disrupt Traffic at UK’s Dover Port Amid Anti-Boat Crossing Demonstration

LONDON: Protests by groups of masked men on roads surrounding the English port of Dover disrupted cross-Channel traffic on Saturday, with demonstrators calling for an end to the arrival of asylum seekers by small boats from France.

The protesters, dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, gathered on major roads leading to Dover, the United Kingdom’s principal ferry port for crossings to France. According to reports, demonstrators chanted slogans including “Stop the boats,” highlighting the politically sensitive issue of irregular migration across the English Channel.

Major roads providing access to the port were temporarily blocked during the morning, causing disruption to traffic. The Port of Dover and ferry operator P&O Ferries later said access to the port had been restored by around midday.

Kent Police said officers were present at the scene and were engaging with the protesters. Authorities did not immediately provide further details regarding the nature of the demonstration or whether any arrests had been made.

The protest comes amid continued political debate in Britain over irregular migration and the government’s efforts to prevent asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small, often overcrowded boats.

However, government figures cited by the BBC indicated that 16,513 people had arrived by small boat by September 1 this year, approximately 43 percent fewer than during the same period in 2025.

The Dover disruption underscores the continuing political and social tensions surrounding irregular migration in Britain, despite a significant year-on-year decline in small-boat arrivals.