Police slow to respond to Dover protest, says council boss
Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills has criticized the police response to a large, organized protest that blocked the Port of Dover. While officials condemned the disruptive and intimidatory nature of the demonstration, police have yet to provide a formal comment on the event.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding public order, protest management, and the strain on police resources in the UK.
Figure caption, Masked men chanting "stop the boats" at Port of Dover
Police were slow to react to an "exceptionally well organised" protest that ground the Port of Dover to a halt for hours, a council boss has said.
Kevin Mills, who leads Dover District Council, told the BBC that demonstrators "caught several agencies on the hoof" when they arrived on Saturday.
Hundreds of masked men chanting "stop the boats" blocked roads, causing miles of tailbacks and preventing access to the port .
Kent Police is yet to comment, but cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said officers "did deal with it swiftly".
Mills said the force "appeared to be quite slow to keep the roads and the networks open, which is disappointing".
"The protesters knew what they were doing, I'm not sure the police did know what was going to happen," he told the BBC.
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