‘Stop The Boats’: Masked Anti-Migrant Demonstrators Block UK

<p><em>Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru</em></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Police said that they were "engaging" with protesters and that normal traffic had resumed at the port after several hours.</p> <h2>Government condemns 'travel disruption'</h2> <p>"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.</p> <p>Under Burnham and his predecessor Keir Starmer, migrant crossings have been greatly reduced in part due to closer cooperation with French authorities.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><em>Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.</em></p>