The protesters, dressed in black and wearing full-face masks that exposed only their eyes, chanted “Stop the boats”, referring to asylum seekers arriving on England’s southern coast from France.

Kent Police said in a statement on X that major roads leading to the port were closed on Saturday morning, but access to the port was later restored. The participants in what police described as a “spontaneous protest” had dispersed by midday.

Police said that no protesters had been detained.

Successive British governments have sought to reduce the number of asylum seekers, many of whom arrive in overcrowded inflatable boats after crossing the English Channel from France.

Government figures cited by the BBC showed that 16,513 people had arrived by 1 September this year, about 43 per cent fewer than in the same period in 2025.