This weekend’s events in Dover, and elsewhere, has seen a new, sinister, and deliberate decent of racist protest in the UK.

The wearing of all black and face coverings together, have two deliberate purposes; The first is to simply avoid the due process of law and order being applied, which is by consent of the public.

Blocking roads and ports is illegal. Committing such a criminal act while on bail or condition for other such offences is also illegal.

Other protestors have been jailed for the very same things, but on Saturday Kent Police decided to enable and support the illegality that took place. They clearly knew in advance, and they had a response ready.

While we appreciate the tactical experience of senior officers faced with a potentially explosive situation, and are relieved that no violence took place, the net result was frankly disgusting.

The second reason why these people were wearing black was to intimidate and scare the general public, including the majority of people who want a peaceful, lawful society based on decency.

Kent is no stranger to the violence of old from the IRA, and in Ireland this activity is now being re-utilised and linked to far right activity. Houses are being burned, hard working law abiding local residents are being forced out simply for the colour of their skin, or their religion. This is terrorism, and far right actors in the UK are now calling an English equivalent. 

In, Middlesbrough, and other parts of the UK, groups of criminals wearing balaclavas are terrorising people, committing crime en masse, and sinking entire areas into no go zones.

These events, although appearing unconnected, are feeding off each other. 

However, all responsibility does not lie with the people wearing masks.

Misinformation is the first direct cause of decent into barbarity. Nigel Farage, in 2015, framed our own Cliftonville as being degraded by immigration, when in fact, the polar opposite was true. We marched against him, booted him out at an election, and the area has continued to flourish as an upward looking place where decent people mix, and can try and enjoy a peaceful life.

However ongoing attempts are still being made by the far right to destroy this peace.

The lower standard of living many people endure in the UK has never been caused by immigration, but it is now made far worse by the ideological fanaticism that bought us Brexit. In fact, when we were in the EU, there were little or no illegal crossings, as we could legally send those people back the same day.

Labour has also played a huge part in this crisis, by bowing to the anti migrant rhetoric, and supporting other numerous hate activists, instead of looking at actual evidence.

The job of government is to research, plan, inform, and lead on difficult and divisive matters. Simply operating vital social policy based on opinion polls is essentially handing the keys of power to media billionaires.

We do not have enough prisons. We do not have enough Police. Releasing criminals early simply compounds the matter, as it sends a message criminality has little or no consequence. For people with no hope, no consequence actions are very tempting.

Social media is a new phenomenon that has been hijacked by oligarchs to spread civil division and disorder,  and without controls, that will get worse.

Politics is being infected with foreign influences, against our own national interests. 

Decent law abiding people need a government that protects the peace, not helps to smash it up, they need protection to ensure politics stays a force of positive change, not endless hatred and regression.

The law is the law, whether it be national, or international, and it needs upholding.

Kent Police stated this morning that it had yet to ‘talk’ to organisers of the protest, but wished to.

This is not acceptable; It is the job of the Police to ensure this is done on the day.

We call for an emergency Kent wide ban on all face coverings.