Far-right protesters block Dover port roads in protest against migrants

Video clips posted on social media showed dozens of men, estimated at 300 to 500 people, wearing black clothes and masks covering their faces, linking their arms across a main road near the port, chanting, “Stop the boats.” The phrase "Blood on your hands" was also spotted written outside the Home Office's immigration reception center in Dover.

The Dover Port Authority said in a statement, “Traffic to and from the port has been halted due to an ongoing public order incident.” The authority added that the protesters were blocking “all roads” leading to and outside the port station. The closure resulted in a four-mile queue of vehicles along the A20.

A far-right faction called the Patriot Platform claimed responsibility for the protests, initially threatening to shut down Dover for three days. This group was founded in June of this year by Danny Thomas (known as Danny Tomo), a former convict for attempted kidnapping and close to far-right leader Tommy Robinson. Thomas shared footage of the protest on social media, writing: "This is our warning."

The protests sparked widespread criticism, as the Labor MP for Dover and Dale, Mike Tapp, wondered how the demonstration was able to surprise the police, saying: “It seems that the police did not know about it, and there were very few resources on the ground.” A former inspector also criticized what he described as an "intelligence failure" by Kent Police.

The British government condemned "the behavior in Dover and the travel disruption it caused," stressing that the protest exceeded the limits of peaceful demonstration. Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, said he denounced what happened, and added: “You should not be allowed to be disguised, wearing a mask, and go out to protest in the streets of our country.”

While Robert Jenrick of the Reform Party said, “It is absolutely shameful that the lives of companies and individuals are being disrupted because of these people.”

On the other hand, Kent Police defended its handling of the protests, describing it as a "spontaneous event that was controlled accordingly." Police confirmed that no arrests had been made. By noon, most of the demonstrators had left the town, after police escorted them to Dover Priory railway station. The port reported at about the same time that the access roads were open again and things had returned to normal.