UK Activist Daniel Thomas Slashes Migrant Dinghy With Knife
British activist Daniel Thomas, known online as “Danny Tommo,” was filmed using a knife to puncture an inflatable boat in the English Channel while a rescue worker was still on board.
Thomas, who founded the anti-immigration group Patriot Platform, was livestreaming his activity to an audience of around 100,000 people on Tuesday as he followed two inflatable boats carrying asylum seekers from France toward the United Kingdom. The Guardian and LBC also reported the incident.
After rescue workers transferred the people from one of the boats to rescue vessels, Thomas approached the abandoned inflatable boat. Dozens of life jackets were still inside.
At that moment, a rescue worker wearing an orange safety outfit and yellow helmet stepped from a larger rescue vessel onto the inflatable boat.
Thomas then pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed the side of the boat. The livestream captured the sound of air escaping from the damaged vessel.
“This is England. This is not France anymore,” Thomas said during the livestream.
When Thomas realized that the rescue worker was still on the boat, he told him to get off. Thomas and the people accompanying him then left the area. The livestream did not show what happened immediately afterward, although reporting by The Guardian said the rescue worker later returned to the larger vessel.
Protests in Gosport
The incident happened as hundreds of protesters gathered in Gosport, Hampshire, after Thomas had called on supporters to protest against the arrival of asylum seekers.
Police were present in large numbers and closed several roads. Six people were arrested for various alleged offenses, including an assault involving a rescue worker and aggravated trespass, according to the report provided by HLN.
Police were also investigating the incident involving Thomas and the inflatable boat.
The asylum seekers did not ultimately arrive in Gosport. Instead, Border Force transported them by ship to Dover.
More Than 33 Hours at Sea
According to the British rescue service RNLI, the asylum seekers involved had spent more than 33 hours at sea. There were concerns about their health and the condition of their inflatable boat.
The French coastguard said around 60 migrants had refused assistance because they wanted to continue toward the United Kingdom despite the dangerous conditions.
The incident has drawn attention to the increasingly confrontational protests surrounding small-boat crossings in the English Channel. Thomas’s actions are also being investigated by police.
