Dozens of demonstrators dressed in black and with their faces concealed by masks staged a surprise anti-immigration protest on a road leading to the UK's Port of Dover on the 5th (local time), paralyzing local traffic and causing major inconveniences for travelers bound for France.

According to British media outlets such as The Telegraph, men dressed in black and wearing balaclavas gathered one after another near the Port of Dover that morning, blocking major roads. This halted vehicle traffic entering and leaving the Port of Dover, the UK's busiest passenger port, and caused severe chaos with traffic congestion stretching up to about 7 kilometers in the area.

Some of them were witnessed marching through nearby villages while chanting slogans such as "Whose streets? Our streets!" and "Stop the boats."

The daily The Times reported that some of the protesters belong to the Patriot Platform, an anti-immigration far-right group.

The British government, led by the center-left Labour Party, stated that "peaceful protest is a fundamental right of democracy," but criticized the actions in Dover and the resulting traffic disruption as crossing the line.

The ferry operator running passenger ships between Dover and Calais, France, announced shortly before noon that "access to the Port of Dover has been restored," adding that passengers who missed their ferries would be accommodated on the next available sailings.

Located about 110 kilometers southeast of London, the Port of Dover is the UK's largest passenger port, handling more than 9 million passengers and over 2 million freight vehicles last year. Anti-immigration protests targeting migrants crossing the English Channel from France in small boats have frequently taken place there in the past.

Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, also called the influx of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel packed into small boats an "invasion" during a party convention held the previous day, vowing that his party would stop it if they come to power.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party government stated that as a result of strengthened law enforcement cooperation with the French government to block illegal migrants flowing into the UK via the English Channel, the number of people entering across the English Channel this year has decreased by 40% compared to the same period last year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)