Police response to Dover protests set to come under scrutiny, as Tommy Robinson associate appears to claim credit

The police response to a protest involving hundreds of black-clad and masked anti-illegal migrant protesters who blocked roads in Dover is set to come under scrutiny after authorities appeared to be caught off guard.

Footage showed the group, which appeared to be largely made up of men, gathered at the Kent port on Saturday.

They were later shown marching through the town and chanting "whose streets? our streets!" and "stop the boats" as dozens of police officers followed.

The protests - which have been condemned by the government - brought traffic on roads to the UK's busiest international ferry and passenger port to a halt, delaying some ferry services.

Kent Police said no arrests were made during the "spontaneous protest".

In a post on X the force said: "Kent Police responded to a spontaneous protest in #Dover during the morning of Saturday 5 September.

"No arrests were made. Traffic is flowing normally, and all involved had dispersed by midday."

Behaviour of protesters condemned

Politicians have roundly condemned the actions of protesters, with a government spokesperson saying: "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behaviour in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused."

They added: "We thank policing partners and travel providers who we continue to work with to ensure the safety of passengers and the wider community."

Chris Vinson, leader of the Conservative group on Dover District Council, said the demonstration appeared to be a "co-ordinated" group of "several hundred masked men".

He said it had "brought the town to a standstill" and left "stacks of people" stuck in their cars or workplaces.

He added: "I'm not aware that there's been any violence, although clearly, 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.

"I know people who have worked night shifts in the port who are being prevented from leaving for fears for their safety. Women who are in cars feeling intimidated, people stuck in traffic - who obviously are without toilet facilities - queues way back on the A20 and the other approach roads into Dover."

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Asked about the protest on Sky News' Sunday Morning with… Jon Sopel, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "Well, I condemn it. I mean, peaceful protest [is a] central part of British life.

"But that's not dressing up in costumes like this and disrupting people's lives. So I would condemn it, but I condemn the disruption it caused for local people as well.

"But it was resolved. It was resolved. But clearly that's not something we would want or expect to see on the streets of Britain."

His comments echoed those made by Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, in an article for the Sunday Mirror.

"Dover knows better than most the pressures immigration and border disruption can bring," he wrote.

"We have lived on the front line of the small boats crisis for years. We have also endured queues and gridlock caused by changes to cross-Channel travel. So the last thing Dover needs is another group deliberately blocking our roads."

Addressing the policing, he added: "I will be asking why, whether intelligence was missed, and whether additional officers - including mutual aid from forces such as the Met - can be mobilised quickly enough when Dover is targeted again."

Robert Jenrick, Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson, told Sky News: "I've always hated people obstructing other people doing their daily life, whether it's Just Stop Oil or whatever. And I don't like people going around in balaclavas, which is obviously very intimidating.

"But do I understand why people are extremely frustrated? Yes, absolutely."

Who was responsible for the demonstration?

An associate of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson appeared to claim credit for the protests.

Sharing a video of demonstrators on Instagram, Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, wrote: "It's time! Protect our country! And more importantly our women and children! This is our warning!"

Campaign group Hope Not Hate linked the action to the Patriot Platform, a group Tommo recently launched.

He described the Patriot Platform as "the resistance standing against the downfall of the United Kingdom", with contingents across the country.

A coordinated plan

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also posted about the protests on social media, suggesting they were part of a coordinated plan.

In a post on X he wrote: "Simultaneously at different locations across Dover patriots have mobilised to close down the port."

Tommo and Robinson have regularly appeared together at political rallies and events, with some media outlets and Hope Not Hate describing Tommo as Robinson's "right-hand man".

Hope Not Hate said the protests showed a growing trend of "anti-migrant vigilantism coming to a head in the public eye".

It added: "Today, we could see Patriot Platform for what it is: a far-right network of men happy to intimidate and inconvenience an entire town for what was effectively a publicity stunt."

Sabby Dhalu, of Stand Up To Racism, said: "It's hard to believe that any other protest group from Just Stop Oil to the Palestine movement would have been allowed to blockade a major port without mass arrests and prison sentences."

(c) Sky News 2026: Police response to Dover protests set to come under scrutiny, as Tommy Robins