Hundreds of masked demonstrators mounted a Dover anti-migrant protest on Saturday, blocking access roads to England’s busiest ferry terminal and temporarily suspending services between the United Kingdom and France.
Video from the scene showed participants wearing balaclavas and chanting “stop the boats,” a slogan tied to opposition to refugees and migrants attempting the English Channel crossing to reach Britain.
Authorities and recent figures indicate that small-boat arrivals fell by about 40% between January and August 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Even so, concern over migrant boats has become a central theme for the right-wing Reform UK party.
Police said officers were engaging with those involved and that regular traffic flows at the port resumed after several hours.
Dover anti-migrant protest draws government rebuke
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government said the right to peaceful protest is fundamental, but condemned the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it caused.
Officials say migrant crossings have been substantially reduced under Burnham and former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, citing increased coordination with French counterparts as a key factor.
Dover is the country’s largest international ferry hub, handling roughly 15,000 passengers a day in summer and facilitating more than one third of the United Kingdom’s trade in goods with the European Union.
The port sits just 21 miles from Calais, a focal point in broader European migration tensions similar to those seen during protests over Spain’s Ceuta migrant crisis.
According to the UK Home Office, small boat arrivals have fluctuated in recent years, becoming a flashpoint in domestic political debate.