On the ground in the English seaside town rightwing influencers say is being ‘invaded’

Some in Dover say their town is being exploited by content creators and politicians, but others claim there is a genuine problem If you believe rightwing influencers and politicians, Dover and the wider Kent coast has been the site of an “invasion” for years now. And, for an online audience of millions, they and their camera crews have been the vanguard in the nation’s defence. Indeed, if you believe all you see on the algorithms of amateur Channel watchers, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, braved a hail of French gunfire as he took to the water in a fishing boat this week; an attempt by the French authorities, he suggested, to deter him in his mission of highlighting the small boats crisis. The inconvenient truth behind Philp’s attempt to self-police our borders is that nothing of the sort happened. The French government said he simply passed by a routine training exercise that involved firing live rounds. With its sloping pebble beach and sunbathers and dog-walkers enjoying the summer sunshine by its marina this week, Dover does not look much like the frontline of a war zone. Are the rightwing figures who regularly visit the town to create social media content expl