Rescuer Onboard, UK Far-Right Activist Slashes Migrant Dinghy With Knife

A far-right activist has been filmed slashing an inflatable dinghy with a knife in the English Channel while a rescue worker was still onboard, escalating anti-immigration protests targeting migrant crossings to the UK.Daniel Thomas, who leads the group Patriot Platform, was filmed tracking dinghies in the Channel before approaching one of the inflatable boats after asylum seekers had left it."Let's get rid of that boat", Thomas shouted as he moved towards the dinghy while rescue workers helped asylum seekers.According to unconfirmed reports circulating this evening, far-right activist Danny Tommo whose real name is Daniel Thomas has been arrested after returning to Gosport. The claims follow a livestream in which he appeared to slash an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel while…— Fletch... (@FletchedFletch) September 22, 2026The black inflatable boat was filled with dozens of lifejackets left behind by passengers. As Thomas approached, a rescue worker wearing an orange hi-vis outfit and yellow helmet stepped onto the dinghy from a larger rescue boat.Thomas then stabbed the inflatable boat several times with a knife, slashing its side as air could be heard escaping. The incident was livestreamed to around 100,000 viewers."This is England. This is not France any more," Thomas shouted.After spotting the rescue worker, Thomas said, "Get off the boat. You've got time to get off the boat."He then told his colleagues, "Let's go lads. Let's go" before their boat moved away. The footage did not show what happened to the rescue worker afterwards.The incident came as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Gosport on Tuesday evening following reports that a small boat carrying migrants after a 30-hour journey would arrive nearby.Thomas had called on his followers to gather at 7pm, with protesters also assembling near the Haslar immigration removal centre. Police vans and officers blocked roads around the area.The asylum seekers were ultimately taken from Hampshire to Dover by a Border Force boat, a journey of around 100 miles. A smaller group of protesters gathered in Dover as the vessel eventually docked there early on Wednesday.At the Gosport protest, several men dressed in black, some wearing face coverings, moved towards the front of the crowd. Chants of "Send them back" were heard as the protesters stood opposite police officers.Thomas, who spent two years in prison for attempted kidnapping, has brought together dozens of nationalist protest groups under Patriot Platform this summer.Hampshire and Isle of Wight police and crime commissioner Donna Jones said she had urged Border Force to transfer the migrants to Dover, according to a Guardian report."Hampshire is not prepared or set up to process people travelling into Britain this way, and the burden on the police to deal with the arrival and potential protest activity is unsustainable," she said.A government spokesperson said, "The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border and will continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival."