British Anti-Immigration Activist Pleads Guilty to Slashing Dinghy With Rescuer Aboard
At a Glance
A British activist who has led protests against Channel migrant crossings pleaded guilty to criminal damage.
He slashed an inflatable boat while a French rescuer was still aboard.
He faces possible prison when sentenced on November 18.
Daniel Thomas, a British anti-immigration activist, pleaded guilty Thursday to slashing a dinghy while a rescuer was still aboard, in a case tied to protests against migrants crossing the English Channel.
Key Statements and Focus Area
Thomas in the Video: "This is what needs to happen to everyone in these boats. This is England. Get off the boat; you have time to get off the boat. This is not France. Take them back." — Daniel Thomas, anti-immigration activist, in footage of the September 22 incident.
Focus Area: The guilty plea of Daniel Thomas and the rise of confrontational anti-immigration protests over Channel crossings.
Thomas, 37, entered the plea to criminal damage at Portsmouth Crown Court. A social media video showed him taking a knife to the inflatable boat, which carried no migrants but was occupied by a member of the French rescue services.
He has pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of failing to give police the passcode to his phone. He remains in custody and will be sentenced on November 18.
As founder of the group Patriot Platform, Thomas has played a leading role in a new tactic of confronting police and rescuers to try to stop small boats landing in England.
Masked groups blocked the port of Dover in September and days later clashed with police in Portsmouth as migrants were brought ashore.
After his arrest, several hundred supporters gathered outside a police station chanting "Free DT."
The UK government has condemned the "intimidating and thuggish behavior" of the demonstrators, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government says stepped-up cooperation with France has cut crossings this year by more than 40% compared with 2025.
FYI
More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel last year, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and successive UK governments have struggled to stop the journeys.
Politicians such as Nigel Farage of Reform UK have described the issue as a crisis. Thomas, who goes by "Danny Tommo," is a longtime associate of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.
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