Credit;PA
Anti-migrant protesters have clashed with police and blocked a dual carriageway.
Rival groups have assembled in Dover to demonstrate over the arrival of thousands of migrants in small boats.
Traffic on the A20 was at a standstill in both directions after protesters assembled on the road in large numbers.
Many wore Union flag face masks and carried banners. Some shouted “England til I die” and sang Rule, Britannia.
At one point several officers were seen restraining a person on the ground.
The individual was later arrested, police told the PA new agency.
There have been other sporadic clashes with the group of at least 50 police officers by the A20.
It is thought that groups from across the country have travelled to Dover.
A heavy police presence was also in place in the town, with a large concentration of officers in Market Square, where pro-migrant activists made their stand.
Addressing a crowd of about 100, Peter Keenan from Kent Refugee Help said when society sees people who are fleeing war and turns them away “that says something about the state of your society”.
He continued: “We are not those people. We are standing up and welcoming people who are in desperate circumstances fleeing from awful situations.”
Officers on horseback were among those monitoring the situation.
It comes despite pleas from local MP Natalie Elphicke to “stay away” to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.
On Friday night the words “Rise above fear. Refugees welcome” were beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover by humanitarian charity Freedom From Torture.
A heavy police presence is in place in the town, with large concentrations of officers in Market Square and the railway station.
A cohort of officers on horseback are among those monitoring the situation.
Various groups had announced their intention to travel to Dover on Saturday to protest for or against migrant crossings.
Pro-migrant activists gathered in Market Square in a demonstration organised by Kent Anti Racism Network.
Addressing a crowd of about 100, Peter Keenan from Kent Refugee Help said when society sees people who are fleeing war and turns them away “that says something about the state of your society”.
He continued: “We are not those people. We are standing up and welcoming people who are in desperate circumstances fleeing from awful situations.”
Meanwhile, others were expected to try and “shut the port down” by driving slowly along roads and potentially trying to block harbour entrances with boats.
Anti-racist group Hope Not Hate had raised concerns in advance of the event that there will be violence and that splintered elements of the British far-right may also travel to Dover.
Chief Superintendent Nigel Brookes from Kent Police said: “As a force, it is our responsibility to facilitate peaceful protests, however we will not tolerate violence or disorder.
“Anyone planning to visit Dover with the intention of committing offences should be aware they are not welcome here and that we will seek to prosecute anyone who breaks the law.”
The total number of migrants who have crossed the sea to Britain in 2020 is now more than 5,600, analysis by the PA news agency shows.
Related – White Cliffs lit up with ‘Rise above fear refugees welcome’ ahead of protests at Dover
