More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A man has been arrested while filming apparent asylum seekers boarding a coach at Dover.
Footage posted on Twitter shows a person calling himself Active Patriot using a smart phone to document the group queuing up in a car park.
Moment man is arrested while filming migrants
He is told to stop repeatedly by immigration enforcement officers but insists he is on public land and not doing anything wrong, adding "It's about showing the world what is going on".
"Leave them alone, they're not doing anything to you," says one officer.
He is then arrested for breaching the peace, with trespassing laws also cited.
The run-in led some on Twitter to ask why he was arrested when he did not appear to have broken any law.
Under UK law you can film in public and would only be breaching privacy laws if the person being filmed has a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is generally only when they are inside.
Breach of the peace requires a situation where harm has been done or is likely to be done to a person or property or where a person reasonably fears harm is likely to be done.
The incident comes at a time when hundreds of people are making the treacherous journey across the Channel from Calais every day.
Last week a daily record of 202 arrived in Kent, earlier in July 380 attempted the journey.
Coronavirus has made the situation even more tricky for border officials who are regularly called on to rescue groups from flimsy crafts stranded in the world's busiest shipping lane.
The group filmed boarding the coach were all wearing face masks. It was not immediately clear where they were heading.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to work closely with the French government to get the situation under control, with a series of warnings issued to the criminal gangs responsible for the crossings.
Port of Dover Police would not provide any details or give the reason for arrest as it is an "active investigation".
