Activists from the anti-immigration group Patriot Platform are reportedly considering launching their own vessel into the English Channel to intercept migrant dinghies in a bid to “stop the boats”.
Members of the group, known for staging balaclava-clad demonstrations in Dover and Portsmouth, are allegedly discussing taking a hired boat into international waters to confront asylum seekers crossing from France. The tactic could involve blocking incoming dinghies or forcing them back towards the French coast, potentially causing major disruption in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and prompting intervention from Border Force or the French coastguard.
Plan discussed during Portsmouth protest
Undercover reporting by The Sun on Sunday revealed that masked members discussed the plan during a protest in Portsmouth last weekend. An insider said: “The idea has been discussed. It's an early-stage idea, but in the eyes of the activists, physically stopping a boat when the French and Home Office can’t do it would be a major moment.”
The insider added: “It could end in tragedy, but shows how furious these people are.”
Group leader banned from France
There is no suggestion that group leader Daniel Thomas, known as “Danny Tommo,” is directly involved in the Channel plot. Mr Thomas, who previously slashed and abandoned migrant dinghies on French beaches, has already been banned from entering France.
The revelation follows a weekend of escalating tensions along the UK coast. In Portsmouth, a clash with Hampshire Police at Eastney Docks on Sunday (September 6) delayed the landing of 120 migrants brought ashore by a volunteer RNLI lifeboat. Activists later tailed coaches carrying the asylum seekers to Home Office facilities.
Dover march and political condemnation
Meanwhile, a march through Dover shut down parts of the port town, with balaclava-wearing demonstrators chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” under heavy police supervision.
The aggressive tactics have sparked widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage slammed the demonstrations, calling the scenes in Dover “disgusting” and urging authorities to ban masked protests.
“Nobody in any political protest, on the left or right, should appear in balaclavas,” Mr Farage said. “You should not be allowed to be masked up, balaclava-ed up and go out and protest on the streets of our country. It is wrong at every level. So I deplore what is happening in Dover today.”
