Anti-migrant activist filmed slashing Channel dinghy

An anti-migrant activist, Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, has been filmed slashing a dinghy in the English Channel. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed it is investigating the matter after a video of the event began circulating online.

Activist's stated intention

In a YouTube livestream broadcast after the event, Mr Thomas stated his intention was to prevent the boat from being used again by human traffickers. "That is one boat that won’t be used again," he said. The video showed Mr Thomas's vessel approaching the black inflatable dinghy, which was carrying 51 migrants. Footage captured a rescuer stepping into the dinghy from a larger rescue vessel before Mr Thomas appeared to slash the boat multiple times with a knife.

Mr Thomas, founder of the anti-migration group Patriot Platform, was heard shouting on the livestream, "This is English territory, it is not France anymore." The dinghy had been at sea for over 33 hours, having departed from near Vierville-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast on Monday morning. The French coastguard reported that the migrants onboard had refused assistance as they were determined to reach the United Kingdom.

Protest and arrests

Following reports that the migrants were en route to England, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the marina in Gosport, Hampshire, on Tuesday evening. Hampshire police stated that six people were arrested in Gosport later that evening. The arrests were made after protesters became hostile towards officers and were for offences including careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker, and aggravated trespass.

The 51 migrants were transferred to Border Security Command after being collected by British rescue boats. They landed in Dover in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The journey is thought to have been one of the longest undertaken by a small boat crossing the Channel.