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Britain's three rival groups on Saturday clashed over immigration in southeast England's port town Folkestone, exposing divided public sentiments towards the ongoing Calais migrant crisis.
Folkestone United, a group of pro-migrants activists, launched a demonstration near the British terminal of the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone on Saturday, but they were confronted by counter protests from two rival groups called Britain First and the English Defense League (EDL).
The confrontation came amid growing flows of migrants who gathered in French port city Calais trying to cross the Channel tunnel to reach British soil.
"People are risking their lives to get to a place of safety and some of them are dying. This is a demonstration in Folkestone for all those who want to show their support for their fellow human beings. We stand with the Calais migrants!" Folkestone United said in a statement.
"We want to send a message to the migrants that there are lots of people who support them and we stand with them as fellow human beings," said Bridget Chapman, secretary of Folkestone United.
While dozens of Folkestone United demonstrators marched along holding placards saying "Stop Tunnel Deaths", they were soon met by anti-migrant activists from Britain First and the EDL.
In a statement, Britain First said Folkestone United was "in support of the sponging Calais migrants who want to come here and milk the benefits system."
Activists from the South East brigade of Britain First held the counter demonstration "against these unwashed traitors," the group said.
Britain First added that it is planning "multiple days of action" in Folkstone and Dover to help combat the migrant crisis.
According to earlier reports, a Sudanese man aged between 25 and 30 died while trying to cross to Britain from France early on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of migrants who lost their lives in the tunnel since early June.
According to Eurotunnel, 1,500 migrants tried to access the tunnel on Tuesday night and 2,000 other attempts were reported the previous night.
Calais, where the French end of the Channel Tunnel is located, has been flooded by growing flows of migrants mainly from Libya, Eritrea, Sudan and Syria who fled war, insecurity and poverty.
Britain has deployed additional border force staff and sniffer dogs in northern France to ease the migrant pressure.
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday made a phone call to French President Francois Hollande to discuss solutions to the migrant issue in Calais.
"They both expressed concern about the immediate security challenges and reiterated their commitment to continue working closely together to tackle the problems posed by illegal migration, " a Downing Street spokesperson said.
They also agreed on the need to work with Eurotunnel to "monitor and secure the area," the spokesperson added.
More than 39,000 attempts to cross the English Channel illegally were prevented in 2014 to 2015, more than double the previous year, official statistics show. Enditem
