Far-right to blockade UK-French border in anti-immigration rally ‘in support of truckers’
Far right activists will protest against illegal immigration by blockading one of the biggest borders between the UK and France this weekend.
The protest, which will take place in the British port town of Dover, is taking place to highlight the financial burdens being placed onto truck drivers by illegal immigrants hiding in their vehicles as they attempt to enter the UK.
According to the protest’s organisers, who have set up a Facebook page called, “Support the Calais to Dover Truckers,” drivers can be fined up to £2,000 if illegal immigrants are found in their vehicles, regardless of whether the driver was involved.
The group, which has more than 2,000 likes on Facebook, says that their campaign is “in support for truckers who are under constant attack from illegal immigrants and are being fined for their [sic] illegal entry into Britain.”
They have also listed a wide variety of reasons behind the protest, ranging from the threat from ISIS, the Ebola outbreak and to stop the entry of “rapists” and “child molesters”.
The group is also pushing the slogan: “Enough is Enough: Support our Truckers, Secure our Borders”.
While there is no explicit link to other political or activist groups, the campaign has attracted many associated with Britain’s far right political parties, including the English Defence League (EDL) and British National Party (BNP).
"As part of the force's preparations, officers are actively engaging with the protestors via social media,” Kent Police chief superintendent Steve Corbishley said in a statement.
"Kent Police will have officers and support elements on duty at the weekend to reassure residents of, and visitors to, Dover and resources will be deployed as necessary and appropriate."
Corbishley also said that the police were working with relevant port agencies to “ensure the facilitation of both the right to peacefully protest and people's right to go about their daily business unimpeded."
A number of truckers in the UK have reported threats made to them by human traffickers, including potential knife attacks. As a result, some haulage firms have advised their drivers to avoid Calais to transport goods between the UK and mainland Europe.
Earlier this month, UK-bound migrants violently clashed with police as they tried to force themselves onto delivery trucks, with some migrants throwing rocks at them. Police responded by using tear gas.
The scale of illegal immigration between Calais and the UK has become so high that the UK government has set aside £12 million to help tackle the problem.
The money is to be spent on improvements in border control and heightened security at the northern French port.
The plans include a greater use of identification technology, and the development of a “Ring of Steel”-style barrier used at this years’ NATO summit to protect world leaders against potential terrorist threats.
