The British government on Monday (September 7, 2026) condemned the “intimidating and thuggish behaviour” of anti-immigrant demonstrators who converged on a port in southern England where migrants were brought ashore after crossing the English Channel.

Hundreds of protesters, many dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks, faced off with police in Portsmouth late Sunday (September 6) in an attempt to prevent lifeboats from bringing the migrants to land.

They then tried to block buses carrying the new arrivals to a processing facility for asylum seekers.

“The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder,” the government said in a statement.

The Portsmouth protest came a day after hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to Britain’s busiest ferry port of Dover on Saturday (September 5), clogging traffic and disrupting travellers as well as cargo vehicles heading for France.

Both groups appeared to be led by Daniel Thomas, an ally of veteran far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.

Successive UK governments have struggled to stop people, more than 40,000 last year, making the dangerous journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The issue has been depicted as a crisis by politicians including Nigel Farage of the hard-right party Reform UK, and has been used as a rallying point by anti-immigration activists.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government says stepped-up law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France has helped reduce the number of people making the crossing so far this year by more than 40% compared with 2025.

The boat carrying about 140 people to Portsmouth had left early Sunday (September 6) from Normandy, far west of the beaches near Calais where most departures have taken place, making it a much longer and riskier journey.

Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said lifeboats, a coastguard helicopter and a plane were involved in the operation to bring the migrants to shore.

A group of masked men blocked the entrance to Britain’s busiest ferry port on Saturday (September 5, 2026). Police said they were “engaging with the protesters.” The Port of Dover said all traffic in and out “is stopped due to an ongoing public order incident.” Footage on social media showed several dozen men in black, their faces covered, standing across a major road near the port.

It was not immediately clear what they were demanding.

The National Highways agency said the protests caused a 6.4-kilometre traffic jam, causing delays of up to 45 minutes.

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.

Dover, about 110 kilometres southeast of London, has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants who cross the Channel from France in small boats. Some politicians, including Nigel Farage of hard-right party Reform UK, have seized on the issue. He branded the asylum seekers “an invasion” in a speech on Friday (September 4).

The Labour Party government says stepped-up law enforcement cooperation between Britain and France has helped reduce the number of people making the crossing this year by more than 40% compared to 2025.

Mike Tapp, a Labour lawmaker who represents Dover in Parliament, criticised “idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption. I bet if you asked any one of those protesters, they wouldn’t know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday (September 5). “Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.” he added.