Groups of masked men blocked roads leading to Britain’s busiest ferry port in Dover on Saturday in what officials said appeared to be an anti-immigration protest, disrupting traffic around the major cross-Channel hub.The Port of Dover said all traffic in and out of the port had been stopped because of an “ongoing public order incident” in the town.Kent Police said officers were at the scene and “engaging with protesters”.Videos posted on social media showed several dozen men dressed in black, with their faces covered by scarves and balaclavas, standing across major roads near the port.One video showed demonstrators linking arms across a road while shouting “stop the boats”.
Roads blocked, traffic disrupted
The National Highways agency said the protest blocked routes to the port and caused a 4-mile (6.4-kilometre) traffic jam on Saturday morning. The Port of Dover said one road leading to the port had reopened by late morning.Chris Vinson, a Conservative Party local councillor, said the protest appeared to be “illegal migration-related”.“I’m not aware that there’s been any violence, although clearly, having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating,” he said.Kent Police had not immediately provided further details about the nature of the protest.P&O Ferries, which operates services between Dover and Calais in France, said its sailings were going ahead as scheduled. The company said passengers who missed their booked departure would be put on the next available crossing.
Dover and the small-boat crossings
Dover, around 70 miles (110 kilometres) southeast of London, handled more than 9 million passengers and 2 million freight vehicles in 2025, according to the port’s website.The town has previously seen anti-immigration protests focused on migrants crossing the English Channel from France in small boats.The issue has also become a major political focus in Britain. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described asylum seekers arriving by small boats as “an invasion” in a speech on Friday.The Labour government says increased law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France has helped reduce the number of people making the Channel crossing this year by more than 40% compared with 2025.Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover, criticised the protesters for disrupting the town.“I bet if you asked any one of those ‘protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossings are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess,” he wrote on social media on Saturday. “Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.”The Port of Dover said it remained in contact with Kent Police as the public order incident continued.