Police are facing a backlash after being caught off-guard as an army of up to 500 masked far-right protestors descended on Dover. Furious residents and politicians are demanding urgent answers over how cops were left outnumbered and "thin on the ground" while black-clad demonstrators brought Britain's busiest port to a halt.
MP slams police over lack of awareness
Local MP Mike Tapp slammed police bosses for being unaware of the highly coordinated operation, which saw hundreds of anti-migrant protestors storm key roads into the harbour wearing matching balaclavas and black paramilitary-style gear. The Dover and Deal MP blasted Kent Police for failing to spot the impending chaos despite the mob arriving in rental vans at the "same place at the same time, wearing the same clothes."
Tapp said: "I will be looking urgently on Monday to ask questions around why we didn't know about this, because we do tend to know when protests are coming to the area, and they tend to be peaceful, and laws aren't broken, and obviously the police have the resources to manage that."But in this instance, it would appear that the police didn't know about it, and the resources were pretty thin on the ground, to be quite honest from what I saw. We know that laws were broken because they were blocking the roads and wearing face coverings."
Earlier, the Labour MP wrote on social media: "I am fed up with idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption...Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job."
Witnesses report outnumbered officers
Stunned witnesses reported that cops were outnumbered from the moment the group arrived at around 6.45am, leaving officers powerless to stop key routes like the A20 and Jubilee Way from being sealed off. One visitor trapped in the town said: "Nothing can get in or out of Dover. The police are vastly outnumbered."
Despite the severe travel chaos, which forced frantic ferry passengers to miss vital hospital appointments and sports events, officers didn't make a single arrest on the scene. Instead, the overwhelmed force ended up escorting the masked mob to Dover Priory train station around midday, where around 100 hopped on a train to Ramsgate while others headed to nearby Sandwich.
Police defend handling, group linked to far-right
Defending their handling of the situation, Kent Police told the Daily Mail it was a "spontaneous event and was policed accordingly." Campaign group Hope Not Hate linked the blockades to Patriot Platform, a far-right group set up by convicted kidnapper Danny Tommo - real name Daniel Thomas - an associate of Tommy Robinson who was previously banned from Dover for hounding migrants.
Thomas posted online during the siege: "It's time. Protect Our Country! And more importantly our women and children! This is our warning." The mob also spray-painted "blood is on your hands" outside a migrant facility and vowed to cause disruption for three days.
Furious travellers blasted the lack of police control. One stranded passenger said: "Was stuck on a boat in Dunkirk for over an hour and a half, which also means I will miss my hospital appointment for a potential life-threatening illness this afternoon." Reform UK spokesman Robert Jenrick slammed the disruption, adding: "I hope the police take all the actions as necessary to get the port open as quickly as possible. It's completely disgraceful."
