Why didn't police know about Dover protest? MP says officers were 'thin on the ground' when balaclava-clad demonstrators marched into town before no arrests were made

Police are facing questions over why they were seemingly 'unaware' of a mass protest at the Port of Dover – which left them 'thin on the ground' as hundreds of masked anti-migrant protesters marched through the town.

The demonstrators, dressed all in black with their faces covered by balaclavas, brought Britain's busiest ferry port to a standstill as they blocked several major roads and vowed to bring disruption for three days. 

Protesters were heard chanting 'stop the boats', with some claiming links to Patriot Platform, a hard-Right organisation made up of anti-migrant groups from around the country. 

Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, has questioned why Kent Police were seemingly caught out by the protest, which he said was visibly 'co-ordinated' given they all arrived at the 'same place at the same time, wearing the same clothes'.

The former Home Office minister added: '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 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.'

In response, Kent Police told the Daily Mail it was a 'spontaneous event and was policed accordingly'. 

Police made no arrests and escorted the protesters to Dover Priory train station at around midday. At least 100 protesters were seen boarding a train to Ramsgate, with some since spotted in nearby Sandwich where 'police are in attendance'.

Patriot Platform was founded earlier this year by far-Right influencer Danny Tommo, real name Daniel Thomas, who has previously declared the group's aim is to 'take control of this country'.

Thomas, a convicted kidnapper and associate of Tommy Robinson, shared footage of scores of masked protesters marching through Dover, writing: 'It's time. Protect Our Country! And more importantly our women and children! This is our warning.' 

Balaclava-clad anti-migrant protesters have scrawled 'blood is on your hands' outside a migrant facility in Dover as hundreds of demonstrators blockade roads around the port

Some protesters have claimed links to Patriot Platform, a hard-Right anti-migrant group which said it intends to blockade the port for three days, working in shifts. The group's leader, Danny Tommo said: 'This is our warning'

Protesters at Dover Priory train station after staging a protest at the Port of Dover. They left at around midday

In another video, he showed 'blood is on your hands' had been spray painted on the ground outside a migrant facility. 

Robinson, who has been sharing footage of the demonstration, said protesters had shut down three sites in the town, adding that it would be 'a long stand-in'. 

The group have vowed to cause disruption for three days and many members have been sharing a poster of the white cliffs of Dover, calling for donations of water and supplies for their 'patriots'. 

The Government has condemned the travel disruption the protesters caused and encouraged holidaymakers to allow for extra time when travelling to Dover. 

Robert Jenrick, Reform's Treasury spokesman, told reporters at the party's national conference: 'I'm sick of people disrupting life in this country.

'I hope the police take all the actions as necessary to get the port open as quickly as possible. It's completely disgraceful that businesses and individuals are having their lives held up by those people.'

One witness visiting the area said police appeared to be heavily outnumbered as hundreds of protesters descended on the town this morning.

With roads in and out of the port temporarily blocked, P&O Ferries warned passengers of disruption.

One passenger told Sky News: '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.

'Stop the boats? Wrong ones!'

Campaign group Hope Not Hate claims Patriot Platform arranged the Dover protest.  

Patriot Platform – which says it is an 'army of patriots' formed to 'reclaim our borders, restore order and send a clear message: Britain belongs to the British' – was set up by Danny Tommo.

In 2016, he was jailed for two years after taking part in an armed attempt to kidnap a man in Hampshire over a drugs dispute. More recently, the father of four worked with Raise the Colours in Calais, where he and Ryan Bridges filmed asylum seekers and hounded charity workers helping them.

They were banned from France.

In April, Thomas was arrested for aggravated trespassing and banned from Dover, Ramsgate and Folkestone. 

And last month, he admitted entering a restricted area of Dover's harbour without lawful authority. Thomas is alleged to have entered the port to film and shout at small boats arriving in Britain.

He denies five further charges, including alleged threatening and racially abusive behaviour. 

Thomas has described the organisation as a 'resistance' movement and claimed tens of thousands of people have signed up.

He has also promoted increasingly confrontational rhetoric, calling for supporters to take 'direct action' and put 'boots on the ground'.

Patriot Platform declared on its website that it 'needs people prepared to act' to defend Britain.

Thomas previously shared his plan to 'deploy multiple boats in the English Channel and at the Port of Dover, combined with determined boots on the ground'.

In May, he posted on X: 'Together we will reclaim our borders, restore order, and send a clear message: Britain belongs to the British people and we are taking it back.'

His group claims to be motivated by 'a love of country, responsibility to our families and belief in Britain's future'.

Councillor Chris Vinson, leader of the Conservative group on Dover District Council, said several hundred masked men appeared to have arrived in rental vans before blocking roads and bringing the town 'to a standstill'.

He said there had been no reports of violence but described men wearing black 'paramilitary gear' and balaclavas blocking vehicles as 'extremely intimidating'.

Videos and pictures shared online show scores of protesters. A man filming a livestream of the protest declared that 'something is happening'.

'We have hundreds of men, English men, and they seem to be dressed head to toe in black, with black balaclavas, black everything from head to toe,' he said.

'There's going to be waves upon waves. I'm led to believe Dover is going to have a problem today.' 

A group of parents stranded in Dover fear they will miss their children setting off to swim the Channel after repeatedly trying and failing to get out of the town.

The youngsters, from Beech Hall School in Macclesfield, are due to set off from Folkestone before beginning their Channel swim from Samphire Hoe.

Protesters were all dressed in black with masks when they descended on Dover

There was a sea of protesters blocking the port and the roads in Dover

A hard-Right group called Patriot Platform appeared to take responsibility for the action

One mother said the masked protesters were 'intimidating', adding: 'I think anybody dressed all in black with a face covering is intimidating because you think about the potential for violence.'

She said the parents would be 'devastated' to miss the send-off after their children spent a year training for the challenge, and were even considering walking to Samphire Hoe to reach them.

There is speculation online that as many as 300 protesters are involved, although this has not been confirmed. 

Mr Tapp earlier criticised what he described as 'idiots coming to to cause disruption'.

In a post on Facebook, he said: 'Park run cancelled and port access disrupted.

'I am fed up with idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption. I bet if you asked any one of those 'protesters' they wouldn't know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess. 

'Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.'

Commuter Nathan Ditchburn said the group arrived at around 6.45am.

He told KentOnline: 'I would say there are around 300 men, maybe more.

'They have blocked off every entrance and exit of the Dover port area, and Jubilee Way is blocked as well.

The group claims to be motivated by 'a love of country, responsibility to our families and belief in Britain's future'

Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, criticised what he described as 'idiots coming to to cause disruption'

Kent Police said officers were dealing with an ongoing 'public order incident' and were 'engaging with protesters'

There is speculation online that as many as 300 protesters are involved, although this has not been confirmed

P&O Ferries warned passengers of disruption and said those who missed their scheduled crossing would be put on the next available sailing

The protesters are thought to be members of Patriot Platform, a far-right group launched in June by Danny Thomas (pictured), an associate of Tommy Robinson

'It will be causing huge delays for the ferries today.'

Another man visiting the area said he looked out of the window of the hotel where he was staying at 7am this morning and saw people walking 'all covered in black'. 

A clip shared by him shows large groups of people standing in the middle of roads. 

He said: 'Nothing can get in or out of Dover. The police are vastly outnumbered.

'They have not made clear why they are doing this protest.

'People in Dover are saying it's about immigration, which seems a reasonable conclusion, but it's not for me to say.'

He added that the protesters are 'not making threats to anybody' and that his understanding is that they are keeping silent.

'People are going to get very frustrated because they are missing their ferries and it's going to cause a backlog,' he said.

The Port of Dover confirmed in a statement on X that the disruption is affecting 'all routes' in and out, as well as around the town.

It said: 'The Port of Dover can confirm that there is an ongoing public order incident happening around the town of Dover.

'This is affecting all routes in and out the port and the town. We are in contact with Kent Police to understand the situation.

Patriot Platform members have been sharing this poster, asking for water and supplies suggesting they are not finished yet

'This situation is impacting our local community and our customers, so of course we are hoping for a swift resolution.'

In a statement on X, Kent Police said: 'We are aware of a protest currently taking place at the Port of Dover. Officers are in attendance and engaging with protesters.'

Shipping company DFDS said: 'We are aware of the current traffic disruption affecting access to the port.

'Rest assured we will accommodate you onto the next departure once you arrive.'

Paul King, the Reform UK councillor for Dover West, said he has been told the demonstration is a 'stop the boats protest'.

He wrote on Facebook: 'Avoid the port area, large number of men have blocked the A20. I've been told it's a stop the boats protest speaking to local women, they felt frightened by such a large group of men walking up the street.

'We don't condone causing public disturbance by protest. But it's a very good example of what is happening daily with the boats coming in.'

 Reform UK councillor John Baker, for Kent County Council, said he believes it is a 'stop the boats' protest.