A group of masked men blocked the road to Britain's busiest port

Videos on social media show dozens of people dressed in black standing in a line on a major thoroughfare near the port, shouting: "Stop the boats!"

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Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A group of masked people today blocked roads leading to Britain's busiest ferry port in Dover, on the English Channel.

Authorities say it's an anti-immigration protest.

The Port of Dover said all traffic had been suspended, and police said they were negotiating with protesters.

Videos on social media show dozens of people dressed in black standing in a line on a major thoroughfare near the port, shouting: "Stop the boats!"

Chris Vinson, an opposition Conservative Party councillor in Dover, said the protest appeared to be linked to "the issue of illegal migration".

"I'm not aware of any violence, although it's certainly extremely frightening when your path is blocked by people in black paramilitary gear and with balaclavas on their heads," he said.

The British road management agency National Highways said the protest had blocked approaches to the port and that the convoy of vehicles was more than six kilometers long.

There have been previous protests in Dover over migrants crossing the English Channel from France by boat, and some even by dinghy, which is extremely dangerous due to sea currents and heavy traffic from large ships.

Some politicians, including Nigel Farage of the far-right Reform UK party, have seized on the issue. On Friday, he called the arrival of asylum seekers an "invasion."

The Labour government says increased cooperation with France has helped reduce the number of people crossing this year by more than 40% compared to 2025.

Mike Tapp, the Labour MP who represents Dover in Parliament, criticised "idiots who come to Dover to cause disruption".

"I bet if you asked any of those 'protesters' they wouldn't know that attendance is down 40% and we're working hard to fix the mess," he wrote on Facebook today.

"Go home, enjoy the weekend/find a job," he told them.

According to data from the port's website, more than nine million passengers and two million freight vehicles passed through Dover, which is 110 kilometers southeast of London, in 2025.

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