Masked protesters shut access to Britain’s Dover ferry port PHOTO

Masked protesters reportedly blocked access to the Port of Dover in southern England on Saturday, bringing traffic through the key ferry terminal between Britain and France to a halt.

The Port of Dover said all traffic entering and leaving the port had been stopped because of an ongoing public order incident, while Kent Police said officers were “engaging” with the protesters.

The port authority said the black-clad demonstrators were blocking “all routes” in and out of the terminal. Images shared online showed dozens of people wearing balaclavas moving onto roads surrounding the port, which links southern England with northern France.

Paul King, a local councillor for the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said he had been told the demonstration was a “stop the boats protest”, referring to migrant crossings of the English Channel in small boats.

Britain has struggled in recent years to curb the dangerous and politically contentious crossings, which have brought thousands of migrants to the shores of southeast England annually. The issue has been a major focus for the political right as anti-immigration sentiment has grown.

The centre-left Labour government has said the number of boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers across the Channel this summer was the lowest since 2019, partly as a result of cooperation agreements with the French government.

During the summer months, the Port of Dover handles more than 10,000 freight vehicles and 15,000 passenger vehicles each day and accounts for about a third of Britain’s goods trade with the European Union.

Ferry operator P&O Ferries said its services were continuing as scheduled despite the disruption. “If you miss your booked departure today, we will get you onto the next available,” the company said in a post on X.

By Tamilla Hasanova