Story summary
Hundreds of masked men blocked roads leading to the Port of Dover, Britain's busiest ferry port, on September 5, 2026, disrupting traffic and causing a 4-mile-long traffic jam. The protesters, who were dressed in black and wore balaclavas, chanted "stop the boats" as they blocked key roads and linked arms across routes leading to the port. The protest was described as "exceptionally well organised" by Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills, who criticized the police response for being slow.
The disruption caused delays of up to 45 minutes for passengers and cargo vehicles heading for France. P&O Ferries, which runs services between Dover and Calais in France, said its boats were running on schedule, and passengers who missed their ferry would be offered the next available crossing.
The Labour Party government condemned the protest, saying it went beyond peaceful protest. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC that while peaceful protest was an essential part of British life, the "intimidatory behaviour" witnessed in Dover was unacceptable.
The police response to the protest is also under scrutiny, with some politicians questioning whether intelligence was missed and if extra police officers could have been drafted in from the Metropolitan Police to help deal with the disorder. Former Home Office minister and Labour MP for Dover and Deal, Mike Tapp, said he would be asking these questions.
The protest has been linked to a group called Patriot Platform, which is believed to have been founded by Daniel Thomas, an associate of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Written for “Dover Port Protest Disruption” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 17 other(s) covering the same event.
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Chaotic scenes unfolded last night as hundreds of protestors clashed with police in Portsmouth after 140 asylum seekers were rescued from a dinghy and brought ashore.
Footage posted to social media showed demonstrators crowded together near Eastney beach chanting 'stop the boats' and 'enough is enough'.
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enough → see → boats
The protest is thought to have been spearheaded by Daniel Thomas, the Tommy Robinson associate whose Patriot Platform group organised a mass protest at the Port of Dover earlier this weekend.
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group → think → Dover
Crowds gathered after a small boat carrying more than a hundred migrants reached British waters at around lunchtime on Sunday.
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boat → gather → Sunday
Two RNLI lifeboats, a HM Coastguard helicopter and a plane were then deployed to the vessel to ensure the asylum seekers reached the shore safely.
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seekers → deploy → shore
Around 140 migrants are believed to have arrived in Portsmouth, where hordes of protestors later flocked to try and blockade the port.
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hordes → believe → port
They stayed in the area until almost midnight, with chaotic clips posted to social media showing them clashing with officers near the water.
In one shared on X a riot officer appears to be pushed off his motorbike as demonstrators - many donning caps and hoods - cry 'shame on you'.
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many → stay → you
Further clips showed officers carrying shields ordering the group to 'get back' before pushing some away from a nearby police van.
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officers → show → van
Hundreds of protestors clashed with police near Eastney beach in Portsmouth last night after a dinghy carrying 140 asylum seekers was escorted to the shore
Crowds were heard shouting 'stop the boats' and 'enough is enough'
Riot police were deployed to the scene, though none of the protesters are thought to have been arrested
Crowds stayed in the area until as late as midnight on Sunday
And in others, riot officers appear to be sprayed with water from super-soakers as dozens watching on record the ordeal on their phones.
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officers → clash → phones
Earlier in the day, protestors shared videos of them entering the water.
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them → share → water
Thomas, who livestreamed the event on YouTube, was heard urging his supporters to 'get in your cars and get down here' as he stood waist-deep in the sea.
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he → livestreame → sea
Separate footage meanwhile appeared to show a pensioner delivering supplies to protestors via canoe.
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pensioner → appear → canoe
The dinghy which eventually arrived on British shores had originally left the Bay of the Seine and was shadowed for around 10 hours by rescue boats.
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which → arrive → boats
The French coastguard deemed it unsafe to stop the boat on water during what is thought to have been one of the longest Channel crossings ever.
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what → deem → crossings
The authorities in France added that it was unusual for a migrant boat to depart from the Bay of the Seine, located some 170 miles from the usual launches in Calais.
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boat → add → Calais
The HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, a helicopter, an aeroplane and rescue teams to ensure the asylum seekers reached the British shore safely.
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seekers → send → shore
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: 'In response to a report on September 6 of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams.
'
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Coastguard → say → lifeboats
Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire Police and South Central Ambulance Service were also sent.
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Force → send → ?
Clips posted online later showed people being ushered off lifeboats to shore, where they were met by several buses.
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they → post → buses
Cllr George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK in Hampshire, wrote in a post on X that 'over 100 migrant men' had arrived in Portsmouth.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage meanwhile posted: 'Today a boat launched from Baie de Seine, 170 miles from Calais, arrived on the beaches of Hampshire for the very first time. This is a joke.
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This → write → time
Only Reform will send the boats back.'
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Reform → send → boats
Pictures show men, women, and children wearing orange lifejackets wading through the water in northern France before climbing onto an inflatable rubber boat in Gravelines in a separate incident
Migrants scramble on board a dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain (A boat in Gravelines, Calais, is pictured, in a separate incident)
The crossing comes on the same week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron met to discuss how to 'scale up' efforts to reduce small boat crossings.
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Burnham → show → crossings
Only last month, a small boat carrying record numbers of migrants - believed to be more than 230 - successfully crossed the English Channel.
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boat → carry → Channel
And earlier this week hundreds of anti-migrant protestors donning balaclavas brought the Port of Dover to a standstill.
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hundreds → don → standstill
Demonstrators were heard chanting 'stop the boats' while blocking many of the town's roads.
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Demonstrators → hear → roads
Some of those in attendance claimed links to Patriot Platform, a hard-Right organisation made up of anti-migrant groups from around the country.
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Some → claim → country
Kent Police were thought to have been 'unaware' that the protest was taking place, leaving them 'thin on the ground' as hundreds marched the streets of the town.
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hundreds → think → town
Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal and former Home Office minister, said: 'I will be looking urgently on Monday to ask questions around why we didn't know about this, because we do tend to know when protests are coming to the area, and they tend to be peaceful, and laws aren't broken, and obviously the police have the resources to manage that.
'
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police → say → that
But in this instance, it would appear that the police didn't know about it, and the resources were pretty thin on the ground, to be quite honest from what I saw.
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I → appear → what
We know that laws were broken because they were blocking the roads and wearing face coverings.
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they → know → coverings
In response, Kent Police told the Daily Mail it was a 'spontaneous event and was policed accordingly'.
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it → tell → Mail
Police made no arrests and escorted the protesters to Dover Priory train station at around midday.
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Police → make → midday
At least 100 people were seen boarding a train to Ramsgate, with some since spotted in nearby Sandwich where 'police are in attendance'.
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police → see → attendance
Patriot Platform was founded earlier this year by Daniel Thomas, a convicted kidnapper and associate of Tommy Robinson.
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Platform → found → Robinson
Sharing clips of the protest in Dover to his social media, Thomas wrote: 'It's time.
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It → share → media
Hundreds of balaclava-clad protestors took to the Port of Dover on Saturday for an anti-immigration protest
The protesters blocked roads leading to the port, sparking warnings of delays for holidaymakers
A government spokesman said: 'We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we are seeing tonight.
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we → clothe → behaviour
The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder.
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it → cross → disorder
We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation.'
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who → thank → situation
Hampshire Constabulary said: 'This evening (Sunday 6 September), we have been working alongside and assisting our partners from Border Force, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Portsmouth City Council at Eastney Marina following the arrival of a boat crossing the channel.
'
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we → say → channel
We have officers in the area to ensure the prevention of any disorder.
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We → have → disorder
We ask that people please avoid the area.
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people → ask → area
…and 2 more, not listed.
