The group behind the masked protests that brought Dover to a standstill claims to have recruited hundreds of members in Greater Manchester. Patriot Platform, an anti-migrant group of self-described 'Christian patriots', organized the demonstrations that blocked the south coast port for several hours on Saturday.
Dover protests and local recruitment
Hundreds of anti-immigration demonstrators dressed in black and wearing balaclavas marched through Dover, chanting 'Whose streets? Our streets!' and 'Stop the boats' as dozens of police officers followed. The scenes were condemned by politicians on both sides of the house.
Credit for Patriot Platform's formation has been claimed by Danny Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, a former bodyguard of far-right agitator Tommy Robinson. Thomas, who was jailed for two years in 2016 after pleading guilty to attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint, is thought to have brought together a number of local far-right groups and followers under his leadership.
Greater Manchester Patriots branch
One of the main figures from Manchester is anti-migrant activist and social media figure Alex Robinson, who describes himself on his Facebook page as 'British nationalist/activist'. He first came to the attention of local anti-racism campaigners around 12 months ago, when he was seen on the fringes of asylum hotel protests in Stockport.
Over the weekend, Robinson posted several videos of the Dover protests to his 23,000 Facebook followers and 6,000 Instagram followers. In a video shared on Monday night titled 'Everyone's asking why the balaclavas', he said: "Dover is the front door to this country. That is why we were there. Not to play dress up and not to take photos, but to say this country still has men ready to turn up when the politicians don't."
The following day, he posted another video claiming 1,000 people had joined the Greater Manchester chapter of Patriot Platform. "It's part of the Patriot Platform movement by Danny Thommo," he said. "It's called Greater Manchester Patriots."
Reactions and concerns
Approached by the Manchester Evening News, Robinson confirmed he had set up the local branch but declined to comment on his attendance at the Dover protest or the number of Greater Manchester attendees. Greater Manchester Patriots has around 9,000 followers on Instagram after its account was set up less than three weeks ago.
Stockport MP Navendu Mishra called reports of Patriot Platform setting up a chapter in Greater Manchester 'concerning'. He added: "There is a fundamental right to peaceful protest. What there isn't is the right to block critical national infrastructure. It's unacceptable."
Nahella Ashraf, chair of Greater Manchester Stand Up To Racism, expressed scepticism about the claimed numbers but said the group should still be taken seriously. "I don't think they are as big as they are claiming, but at the same time they are still a threat," she said. "Any time a group on the far right tries to mobilise we should take them seriously. I think this is the extreme element of the far right."
Campaign group Hope Not Hate said the protests show a growing trend of 'anti-migrant vigilantism coming to a head in the public eye', adding: "Today, we could see Patriot Platform for what it is: a far-right network of men happy to intimidate and inconvenience an entire town for what was effectively a publicity stunt."
The actions on the south coast also drew condemnation from the Prime Minister's official spokesperson, who said: "The intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw over the weekend in Dover and Portsmouth is absolutely unacceptable. We condemn it unreservedly. We'll always respect the right to peaceful protest but not where it crosses the line into disorder."
