LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters blocked roads leading to Britain’s busiest ferry port on Saturday, clogging traffic and disrupting travelers and cargo vehicles heading for France.
The U.K. government condemned the action, saying it went well beyond peaceful protest.
The Port of Dover said Saturday morning that all traffic in and out was "stopped due to an ongoing public order incident," and police said they were “engaging with the protesters.”
Video posted on social media showed several dozen men in black, their faces covered, standing across a major road near the port. One clip showed demonstrators linking arms across a main road and shouting “stop the boats.”
Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the name Tommy Robinson, wrote on X that "patriots have mobilised to close down the port.”
Chris Vinson, a Conservative Party local councilor, said the demonstration involved several hundred people and appeared to be “illegal migration-related.”
“I’m not aware that there’s been any violence, although clearly, having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating,” he said.
The Labour Party government said “the right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused.”
“We appreciate the frustration of those who have been impacted today," it said in a statement.
The National Highways agency said the protest blocked all routes to the port and caused a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) traffic jam.
Police were later filmed following protesters toward Dover's railway station. P&O Ferries said just before midday that “access to the Port of Dover has now been restored.”
P&O, which runs services between Dover and Calais in France, said passengers who missed their ferry would be offered the next available crossing.
Dover, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of London, dealt with more than 9 million passengers and 2 million freight vehicles in 2025, according to the port’s website.
The town has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants who cross the Channel from France in small boats. Successive U.K. 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. He branded the asylum seekers “an invasion” in a Friday speech.
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 to 2025.
Mike Tapp, a Labour lawmaker who represents Dover in Parliament, criticized “idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption.”
“I bet if you asked any one of those ‘protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossing(s) are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday. “Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.”
Protesters gather at Dover Priory train station after black-clad and masked demonstrators blocked roads during a protest, in Dover, England, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Oscar Rihll/PA via AP)
FILE - A general view of the port of Dover with the coastguard station, top left, in Dover, England, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
NEW DELHI (AP) — A thick blanket of smog shrouded India’s capital Monday after firecrackers lit up the skies over New Delhi during Diwali celebrations, compounding dangerously high pollution levels and intensifying the seasonal air pollution crisis that grips the city every year.
Despite restrictions on fireworks, residents in New Delhi celebrated the Hindu festival of lights with firecrackers on Sunday evening, releasing smoke and fine particulate matter into the atmosphere. The air quality index exceeded 350 in several parts of the capital on Monday morning, reaching the severe category and posing significant health risks.
Monitoring stations across the city recorded similarly alarming levels, while visibility deteriorated as a gray haze blanketed streets and high-rise buildings.
India’s Supreme Court in October had sought to limit Diwali pollution by restricting conventional firecrackers and allowing only approved “green firecrackers” under specified conditions for three-hour windows on Saturday and Sunday. The crackers produce fewer emissions but are not pollution-free. They still release particulate matter and other pollutants, adding to the city’s already hazardous air.
Isyad, a New Delhi resident who uses one name, said the worsening smog was taking a toll on his health.
“Because of the pollution there is irritation in the throat and itching in the eyes,” he said.
New Delhi and its metropolitan region, home to more than 30 million people, regularly rank among the world’s most polluted areas during winter. Pollution worsens as Diwali fireworks coincide with cooler weather and smoke from crop-residue fires in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.
After harvesting rice, farmers often burn leftover stalks to clear their fields for the next planting season. The smoke drifts toward New Delhi, adding to pollution from vehicles, industries, construction dust and other local sources.
The problem becomes particularly acute in late October and November, when cooler temperatures, low wind speeds and stagnant atmospheric conditions prevent pollutants from dispersing. The result is a thick haze that can linger over the capital and surrounding areas for days.
Authorities in New Delhi have implemented a set of measures to curb pollution, which include limits on construction activity and restrictions on diesel generators, while courts have sough restrictions on firecrackers. But the measures have not prevented the return of severe pollution each year.
Environmentalists say long-term solutions, such as cleaner energy and stricter controls on vehicle emissions, are needed to prevent the annual crisis.
Shweta Narayan, a public health expert at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, described the government’s response so far as “knee-jerk” and “temporary.”
“A lot of interventions happen only because the government is pressured or pushed in a corner to do something,” she said.
Associated Press journalist Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India, contributed to this report.
Security personnel walk through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A motorcyclist rides through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Security personnel walk through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People walk in front of India Gate, shrouded in thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations, in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A motor cyclist drives through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People walk through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People light firecrackers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A man holds a sparkler while celebrating Diwali in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, as air pollution levels rise across the region. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Motorists navigate through heavy air pollution following Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Children play with sparklers and firecrackers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in New Delhi, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Photo made with smartphone.
A child celebrates after lighting firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
