Key facts
- Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashed an inflatable dinghy with a knife while a rescue worker was onboard.
- Thomas filmed the incident and livestreamed it to an estimated 100,000 viewers.
- The dinghy carried asylum seekers who had been at sea for 36 hours.
- The Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants condemned the action as violent and dangerous.
- Stand Up to Racism noted Thomas has a prior conviction for knife crime.
- The asylum seekers were ultimately transferred to a Border Force vessel and taken to Dover.
Footage has emerged showing far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashing an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel with a knife while a rescue worker was onboard. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon as Thomas tracked two dinghies carrying asylum seekers from France to the UK. He approached one of the dinghies, shouting, “Let’s get rid of that boat,” before stabbing and slashing its side multiple times. The noise of escaping air was audible as he shouted, “This is England. This is not France any more.”
Thomas, who styles himself as Danny Tommo, warned the rescue worker, who was assisting the asylum seekers, to “Get off the boat” before speeding away. The stream did not show what happened to the rescue worker. Charities have condemned the act as violent and dangerous. The Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants called the action a further escalation of organised anti-immigration protest.
Stand Up to Racism highlighted that Thomas has a previous conviction for knife crime and described the footage as "disgusting."
Hundreds of protesters had gathered in Gosport, Hampshire, aiming to disrupt the disembarkation of asylum seekers. However, the Border Force vessels carrying the migrants landed instead in Dover, over 150 miles away. The asylum seekers had reportedly been in the water for 36 hours, with concerns raised about their deteriorating health and the precarious condition of their dinghy. The French coastguard stated that about 60 migrants spent over 33 hours at sea in "precarious conditions," refusing assistance as they were determined to reach the UK.
Thomas, who previously served two years in prison for attempted kidnapping, has been organizing nationalist protest groups under the umbrella movement Patriot Platform. He used social media to call for followers to gather in Gosport. Police were present in large numbers to manage the protest and the expected arrival of asylum seekers, which was ultimately rerouted.