Violent clashes have broken out between police and anti-immigration protesters in Dover, blocking a dual carriageway.
Pro and anti-immigration activists have gathered at the Kent port for demonstrations called after migrant crossings in the English Channel hit a record high.
Traffic on the A20 was at a standstill in both directions on Saturday afternoon as skirmishes broke out between anti-immigration protesters and around 50 police officers.
Many wore Union Jack flag face masks and carried banners, while some shouted “England til I die”, "get these scum off our streets" and sang Rule, Britannia.
Police made 10 arrests during the protests, Kent Police confirmed. These include for racially aggravated public order, violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.
At one point several officers were seen restraining a person on the ground, who was later arrested.
There were fears of violence as a planned pro-refugee demonstration on Saturday prompted anti-migrant groups to stage a counter demo.
It comes after 409 people successfully made the perilous Channel journey earlier this week, the highest ever in a single day, bringing the total so far this year to a record 5,600.
More than 100 anti-racist activists descended on Dover town centre this morning, despite pleas from local MP Natalie Elphicke to “stay away” to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.
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But alongside the pro-refugee demo, organised by the Kent Anti Racism Network, there were gatherings of counter-protesters including a group identifying themselves as members of the football hooligan firm Chelsea Headhunters and Combat 18.
Anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate had previously warned of violence.
A heavy police presence is in place in the town, with large concentrations of officers in Market Square and the railway station, a cohort of officers on horseback and riot vans.
Locals fear there could be a repeat of the violent scenes from 2016, which led to mass arrests and missiles launched at bystanders.
The Port of Dover urged travellers to consider alternative routes and allow extra time for journeys with the A20 blockage causing heavy traffic disruption.
The pro-refugee demo is being held after drowned Sudanese refugee Abdulfatah Hamdallah washed up in Calais.
Steve Ali, a Syrian refugee living in the UK, who crossed the Channel himself in 2017, told the Evening Standard: "Dover has been a beacon of light for many desperate souls fleeing wars and persecution.
"But this kind of xenophobic terrorisation instils fear in the hearts of many refugees and asylum-seekers, who have been deprived of peace and safety for so long.
"We have to remind ourselves that fascism and the far-right do not represent Britain. This country is above that, and watching dignified police officers in Dover stand up to this aggression, preventing people from disrupting peace, is a fine example of that fact."
Addressing a crowd of about 100, Peter Keenan from Kent Refugee Help said when society sees people who are fleeing war and turns them away “that says something about the state of your society”.
He continued: “We are not those people. We are standing up and welcoming people who are in desperate circumstances fleeing from awful situations.”
Meanwhile, others were expected to try and “shut the port down” by driving slowly along roads and potentially trying to block harbour entrances with boats.
On Friday night the words “Rise above fear. Refugees welcome” were beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover by humanitarian charity Freedom From Torture.
Chief Superintendent Nigel Brookes from Kent Police said: “As a force, it is our responsibility to facilitate peaceful protests, however we will not tolerate violence or disorder.
“Anyone planning to visit Dover with the intention of committing offences should be aware they are not welcome here and that we will seek to prosecute anyone who breaks the law.”
Additional reporting by Mathilda Mallinson.