Masked anti-migrant activists were condemned by politicians on Saturday after they blockaded Britain’s busiest ferry port in a ‘stop the boats’ protest.
Hundreds of protesters – dressed in black and wearing balaclavas – descended on Dover in Kent, bringing the port to a standstill after catching police off guard.
Roads in the town were gridlocked for hours in the morning, with four-mile tailbacks forming. Hundreds of holidaymakers missed their ferry crossings.
The protesters had earlier been seen marching through the town, chanting ‘Whose streets? Our streets’ and ‘Stop the boats’ as dozens of police officers were called in to follow them.
There were no reports of violence or arrests.
The activists are believed to have been from Patriot Platform, a group founded by Danny Thomas, an associate of far-Right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson urged his supporters to ‘get there to support’ the protest. While there were initial claims the blockade could last for days, the crowd dispersed at around midday, with officers escorting people to a railway station.
There were fears that further protests could surprise the police and pass off less peacefully.
A group of masked anti-migrant activists have been condemned by politicians after they blockaded Britain’s busiest ferry port in a ‘stop the boats’ protest
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters – dressed in black and wearing balaclavas – descended on Dover in Kent, brought the port to a standstill after catching police off guard
Roads in Dover were gridlocked for hours in the morning because of the protests, with four-mile tailbacks forming
Robert Jenrick called the disruption ‘completely disgraceful’
The action drew criticism from across the political spectrum, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage saying he deplored the wearing of balaclavas at protests. His Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick called the disruption ‘completely disgraceful’.
Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, said he was ‘fed up’ with ‘idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption’.
Local Tory councillor Chris Vinson said the ‘co-ordinated’ demonstration paralysed the town and left ‘stacks of people’ stuck in their cars or workplaces.
He added: ‘Having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating, especially when it’s not clear why they’re there.
‘And the police weren’t aware and so haven’t been able to warn people in advance and make sure that they are made to feel safe.’
Videos showed dozens of protesters milling around roads and roundabouts near the port, forcing vehicles to a halt.
In other footage demonstrators can be seen linking arms in a blockade across the A20, shouting ‘Stop the boats’. Rafael Pittman, a tour guide from London, said the area was in ‘absolute chaos’ for the three hours he waited to pick up a group.
Ferry passenger Remco van Schellen, who arrived from the Netherlands at 8am, said: ‘When we wanted to leave the ferry terminal with the car, we couldn’t go any further.’
Later in the day, the Port of Dover said operations had returned to normal and routes in and out of the town had reopened.
P&O Ferries said it would get passengers on the next available sailing if they had missed their crossing, as did operator DFDS.
