The leader of the Conservative group for Dover District Council has hit out at the “intimidating” balaclava-clad protesters who descended on Dover Port this morning, arguing that the demonstration was “needless”.
Speaking to GB News, Councillor Chris Vinson declared that “all too often” the town is used as a “staging post” for protests of this sort.
This morning, anti-migrant protests brought Dover to a standstill, blocking roads to the port and causing four-mile queues of traffic.
The crowd of protesters, dressed in all black with black balaclavas, could be heard chanting “stop the boats” as the marched through the streets of Dover.
Discussing the protest on GB News, Mr Vinson echoed the frustrations of locals inconvenienced by the demonstration.
He said: “Fortunately, the streets of Dover have been cleared thanks to the work of the police working with the council and others, and what could have been extremely unsavoury only turned out to be slightly unsavoury.
“I think the key thing from my perspective is that residents of Dover can get back to going about their normal business, and frankly, it’s all too often that we see the town being used as a staging post for protests of this sort.
“We’re used to disruption, sadly, because of the impact of industrial action at the port, so when this happens entirely needlessly, residents become extremely frustrated, whatever they may think about the cause that’s being promoted.”
As host Dawn Neesom argued that Britons are equally frustrated by the ongoing illegal migration crisis, the councillor made clear he “hears that argument entirely”.
He said: “The point I would make is to separate that from the intimidating act of turning up unannounced on the streets of one of our towns, preventing people going about their business, I’ve got friends and people that I know who’ve effectively been in lockdown in their places of work for fear of their safety.
“And women in cars are trying to get around with their kids, who have got masked men standing in front of them with no banners, no indication why they’re there, preventing them moving about the town.”
Mr Vinson stressed that there was “no warning” about the protest from the group or local authorities.
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He told GB News: “It’s extremely scary and it’s extremely intimidating, so whatever the cause is, the way in which the protests have been conducted, I think are ultimately self-defeating.
“We live in a country with rules, and the rules are there for reasons, and there’s a perfectly good way of transacting a political debate about how we control our borders without bussing in van loads of masked protesters to effectively turned over into a complete car park for a morning on what should have been a pleasant, sunny Saturday.”
The Tory councillor declared that such mass protests “cannot be allowed to happen again” on the streets of Dover.
He said: “As far as I can see, they’ve done this without letting anybody know, and if laws have been broken, then my expectation is that the police would take action, because this simply cannot be allowed to happen again in the streets of Dover.
“It’s too disruptive. And whatever you may think about the control of our borders, it’s simply not fair on residents to inflict this upon them.”
A Government spokesman said: “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but we condemn the behaviour in Dover and the travel disruption it has caused.
“We appreciate the frustration of those who have been impacted today. Access to the port is now restored and traffic is flowing.
“Those travelling to the port are advised to allow for extra travel time and to follow guidance from providers.
“We thank policing partners and travel providers who we continue to work with to ensure the safety of passengers and the wider community.”
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