Police were reportedly alerted the night before far-right activists blocked roads into Dover that hundreds of men had gathered in a nearby village, planning to use it as a launchpad for an attack on Muslims. Despite tip-offs, authorities allegedly showed little interest, raising questions about the handling of the protest.
The revelations raise serious questions about law enforcement's preparedness and response to far-right extremism, potentially indicating a failure to act on credible intelligence that could have prevented a significant disruption and potential violence.
Police were reportedly informed the night before far-right agitators blocked roads into Dover that a large group had gathered in a nearby village, Preston-next-Wingham, and intended to use it as a staging ground for an attack on Muslims. Residents of the small village described hundreds of men arriving on Friday afternoon, parking indiscriminately and boasting about their plans. Despite these warnings and reports of illegal parking, authorities allegedly showed little interest in the tip-offs, according to the anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate. MP Roger Gale, who lives in the village, also noted the unusual number of vehicles and stated the Dover unrest was clearly not spontaneous but carefully coordinated. The protest on Saturday morning involved hundreds of masked men blocking access to the port of Dover for several hours. Kent police stated the unrest involved about 200 people and developed rapidly, and that it was treated as spontaneous based on the information available at the time. The action was reportedly organized by Daniel Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson, who also organized a similar blockade in Portsmouth the following day.