Hundreds masked, no arrests, and Farage called it disgusting
A masked Stop the Boats protest shut the A20 and the Port of Dover on Saturday. The fight online is over the balaclavas, the policing, and who gets to call it peaceful.
- Observed threads
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- Source clusters
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- Observed
- Updated
What happened
About 300 men in black and balaclavas blocked the A20 and the port from 6:45am on 5 September and dispersed by midday. Kent Police called it spontaneous and made no arrests. Ferries paused.
Who condemned it
Nigel Farage called it disgusting and said nobody should protest in balaclavas. Labour's Jonathan Reynolds and Dover MP Mike Tapp agreed. Rupert Lowe defended it as peaceful, and many Reform supporters turned on Farage.
What the argument is about
Supporters cite zero arrests and no violence. Critics cite masks, rental vans and a blocked port, and a former superintendent called it an intelligence failure. Small boat arrivals are down 46 percent on last year.
Sources
- KentOnline report on the closures ↗
- HuffPost UK on the cross-party condemnation ↗
- GB News on Farage's remarks ↗
- Thread: Reform supporters on Jenrick ↗
- Thread: milkshake hypocrisy argument ↗
- Thread: balaclavas unacceptable ↗
- Thread: LBC with former Met chief superintendent ↗
- Thread: protesters as worried fathers ↗
- Thread: lorry drivers cheering ↗
- Thread: ban all face coverings or none ↗
- Thread: two-tier policing argument ↗
- Thread: Farage as traitor ↗
- Thread: Reform are finished ↗