Key facts
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called activist Daniel Thomas "a far-right and outright racist".
- Mahmood vowed to use the "full force of the law" against Thomas's organization if it breaks the law.
- Thomas, co-founder of the Patriot Platform, threatened to blockade a village housing asylum seekers.
- Piddington residents voted 285 to 26 in a symbolic ballot to leave the UK in opposition to an asylum facility.
- Mahmood stated that asylum seekers would be housed in self-contained facilities to manage local resource pressure.
- A £26.25 million knife crime crackdown was launched, targeting over 230 areas with increased police patrols and prevention programs.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has strongly condemned anti-asylum activist Daniel Thomas, labeling him "a far-right and outright racist" and vowing to apply "the full force of the law" to him and his organization if they engage in criminal activities near asylum sites.
Mahmood's comments came after Thomas, co-founder of the Patriot Platform, suggested that thousands of his masked followers could descend on the village of Piddington, Oxfordshire, to prevent asylum seekers from being housed in a former defense site. Residents of Piddington had previously voted overwhelmingly in a symbolic ballot to leave the UK in protest against the proposed facility.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mahmood sought to reassure villagers that the asylum seekers would be accommodated in self-contained facilities, minimizing pressure on local resources. She drew parallels with experiences in Wethersfield and Crowborough, where similar sites have been established.
Thomas, who visited Piddington after the symbolic vote, stated in a YouTube interview with Dan Wootton that he was not racist and that his organization did not tolerate racism. He claimed to have spoken with three residents during his visit.
Mahmood made these remarks while launching a new initiative to combat knife crime. The program will allocate £26.25 million to over 230 areas affected by knife violence, funding increased police patrols and early-prevention programs.