A Leeds couple have spoken of their terror after being caught up in an anti-migrant protest

Hundreds of anti-migrant protesters, clad in black and concealing their faces with masks, brought roads in Dover to a standstill on Saturday, September 5. Video footage captured the crowd of men, dressed in black and sporting balaclavas, assembling at the Kent port .

The demonstrators marched towards Dover Priory railway station at around midday, leaving a number of fellow travellers feeling unnerved and intimidated.

Hundreds of men in black balaclavas have halted traffic in Dover as part of a ‘migrant’ protest. (Image: / SWNS)

Steve and Maureen Lightwood, who live near Leeds in West Yorkshire, had journeyed to Folkestone to attend a local rock festival. The retired couple had taken the bus to Dover on Saturday morning for a day out, only to find themselves caught in traffic near the port town as protesters headed towards the railway station.

Mrs Lightwood, 78, said: “It’s scary, I’m glad we weren’t on the floor.

“As the police were herding down the road, I could hear them shouting.”

Mr Lightwood, 77, said: “At the time it was scary because we didn’t know what it was.

“We had no idea at all until we got off the bus.

“Somebody said to us it’s a demonstration, so that’s all we learned.

(Image: / SWNS)

“But they’ve come here from outside (Dover), and now they’re going back, but where, I don’t know.

“I’m not quite sure I’m happy with that sort of way to do it.”

A further traveller, who had intended to catch a train to Deal for a day trip, described the scene at Dover Priory as “threatening” and approached police officers stationed outside the railway station seeking answers. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We saw all these men dressed in black and covering their faces like some paramilitary group.

Get breaking news in Yorkshire straight to your phone

Get all the latest big and breaking Yorkshire news straight to your mobile via WhatsApp by clicking here.

If you don’t like our community, you can leave any time. We also treat members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Read our privacy notice here.

“(Police said) they are leaving and making it clear they don’t want to be threatening to anyone.

“But all these men dressed in black and wearing balaclavas is threatening – they can pretend like it’s not, but it is.”

Another traveller at Dover Priory railway station, who also requested anonymity, characterised witnessing the demonstrators at the station as “scary” and “an out-of-body experience”.

Protesters at Dover Priory train station (Image: Oscar Rihll/PA Wire)

Two women who had journeyed to Dover from London for a weekend getaway similarly recounted coming across the protesters upon their arrival at Dover Priory at approximately 12.15pm. “We just saw a lot of these men wearing ski masks,” one of them said. “I was hoping that this was not the stop that we were getting off at, but then I realised we had to get off.

“I was kind of anxious and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

“We had no idea what it was about, but my instinct was to avoid them,” the other woman remarked.

Nevertheless, a Dover resident indicated he did not feel intimidated by the balaclava-clad group due to the nature of the rally, noting he could comprehend why they wished to protect their identities. “That was a protest of the illegals coming over here – they don’t usually do that,” the man, who did not wish to be named, said. “People hide because they’re sacked from their jobs (if identified).”