Doctors of World UK condemns far-right mob protesting at Port of Dover  

On 5 September, anti-immigration protesters took to the Port of Dover, Kent. At 7pm, a large group of far-right, balaclava-clad men intimidated people seeking safety, blocked roads and caused mass unrest, stalling traffic and ferry operations for hours. 

Our Executive Director, Alexandra Lopoukhine, has condemned the protest: “This weekend, masked men clad in black swarmed the roads in Dover and Portsmouth. We condemn this racist behaviour and intimidation, unreservedly. We also know that across the UK, people are frustrated and disillusioned with the current system.” 

The port of Dover is a site where people seeking sanctuary often arrive after crossing the English Channel, having made long and dangerous journeys. “This type of behaviour is never the answer.” She added that Doctors of the World UK’s clinicians have worked tirelessly for years to treat people who had no choice but to flee their home countries. “Children who ran for their lives. Women who were trafficked. Men who were tortured. Every day, our teams hear their stories.” 

At Doctors of the World UK, our clinics are often the first point of access to healthcare for people seeking safety in Britain. “They are already exhausted and terrified. Some will avoid healthcare altogether because fear has taught them not to trust anyone. What happened this weekend only deepens that, and creates worsening conditions for all of us. We have to ask ourselves: what kind of society are we building? What can we do to ensure our human rights are defended by those in power?” 

The safety and healthcare of migrant communities are innate human rights, and Britain has a responsibility to protect them. Those rights don’t cease to exist because a “confused mob” is protesting against them. 

“We will be louder. Because justice is always louder. And we will keep showing up. Because we are all better when we care.” 

Courage to Care: our response 

Our stance against angry, intimidatory far-right protests such as this has remained unchanging since Doctors of the World UK’s founding. Last Refugee Week, we turned that long-standing resolve into action. Refugee Week ran from 16 to 22 June 2026, with this year’s theme, Courage, which we see every day in the people we serve: people seeking safety, people excluded from the healthcare system, who keep showing up, advocating for themselves and their families, and rebuilding their lives. 

Courage to Care was our answer to moments like Dover. A call to everyone who believes healthcare belongs to all of us, to say so. As the far right gathers strength, and anti-immigration marches and hostile rhetoric make people afraid to seek the healthcare they’re legally entitled to, we wanted to show that the loudest voices in the room are not the only voices. 

We asked our National Health Advisors, people with lived experience of displacement and backgrounds in healthcare, who shape how we work and who we are as an organisation, what courage means to them, and how they support others navigating a complex healthcare system. 

And we asked the public to respond too. We invited people across the UK to send messages of solidarity to the people we serve. Hundreds did. 

“I believe in unity and caring for one another as human beings, irrespective of colour or religion. We need to stand up against division and hatred, and embrace multiculturalism. People that arrive on boats have often risked their lives and left atrocities behind them, in the hope they can find a new and safe life. We need to find a way to welcome everyone into our hearts, and not get caught up in the hateful and damaging rhetoric of mainstream and social media.” 

“Healthcare is a human right and should be freely available to all who need it. You are welcome here, and I send you my warmest wishes.” 

“You’re my friend even though I don’t know you. I offer you my voice, my hand, and my time.” 

These voices, alongside our clinicians, our volunteers, our doctors, nurses and staff, our National Health Advisors, and our Executive Director, are what stand between the people we serve and being turned away entirely. When a confused, masked mob shouts hate at our borders, hundreds of unmasked voices answered back with care. 

Healthcare is a human right. We act like it.