Far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known online as Danny Tommo, used a knife to damage an inflatable dinghy containing lifejackets in the English Channel on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred as rescue workers were assisting asylum seekers from dinghies onto larger rescue vessels. Thomas livestreamed his actions to approximately 100,000 viewers, repeatedly stabbing and slashing the inflatable boat. A rescue worker wearing protective equipment was present on the dinghy at the time of the incident, and Thomas verbally urged them to leave before departing the scene.
Hundreds of protesters had gathered earlier that evening in Gosport, Hampshire, intending to disrupt the expected arrival of asylum seekers. However, the Border Force vessels carrying the migrants diverted to Dover early Wednesday, necessitating a 100-mile sea voyage. Police deployed numerous vans and officers to manage the protest activity. Hampshire police stated they were investigating the boat-slashing incident and had made six arrests for offences including assaulting an emergency worker and aggravated trespass.
Thomas organized the protest under his umbrella movement Patriot Platform, which he established this summer by consolidating various nationalist protest groups. He used social media to mobilize followers to the Gosport location. Thomas has prior criminal convictions, including a two-year prison sentence for attempted kidnapping and a previous conviction for knife crime.
The asylum seekers involved in the rescue operation had spent approximately 36 hours in the water, reported to be the longest crossing duration for small boat passengers on the Channel route. Rescue organizations expressed concerns about their deteriorating health and the structural integrity of their vessel. Refugee charities and advocacy groups condemned Thomas’s actions as dangerous and violent. The RNLI reiterated its non-political role, stating it rescues anyone in distress at sea without judgment or preference, as it has done for over 200 years.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI