Reform and Restore Britain defend far-right activist ‘Danny Tommo’ over arrest for slashing dinghy

Figures from Reform UK and Restore Britain have defended anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas after he was charged with allegedly slashing a dinghy boat in the English Channel.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed yesterday that it has enough evidence to prosecute Thomas, and that he has been charged with criminal damage with intent to endanger life.

Thomas, who also refers to himself as Danny Tommo, filmed himself tracking two inflatable dinghies which were transporting asylum seekers from France on Tuesday afternoon.

In the footage, he approaches the dinghy, which is full of life jackets left by passengers, and uses his blade to repeatedly stab holes in the side of the vessel.

There were no migrants on board, but there was a French official from the coastguard vessel Abeille Liberté on the boat.

Thomas can be heard shouting at a rescue worker onboard to “get off” while escaping air from the dinghy can be audibly heard.

The Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants called Thomas’ actions “violent and dangerous”. 

Following the CPS’ announcement that Thomas has been charged, Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice defended the far-right figure, claiming that he was “doing the job the police and border force should be doing”. 

Tice wrote on X: “Please confirm why it is a crime to try to stop such illegality by doing the job the police & Border Force should be doing?”.

He also said: “Please confirm if you have charged the 80,000+ illegals who have invaded our country since the general election?”.

The Reform MP also suggested that Thomas’ prosecution had been “rushed through”.

He wrote: “Weird how you took many months to charge the Manchester Airport thugs for assault against police officers. (Only after I started a private criminal prosecution) 

“Yet you rush this through in days? Seriously?”. 

Tice’s comment defending Thomas sharply contrasts with his condemnation of the masked Dover protests that Thomas, founder of anti-migrant group Patriot Platform, organised at the beginning of September. 

Thomas also organised protests in Portsmouth. 

On 5 September, Tice said: “This is not lawful protest, it is militia style intimidation.

“Regardless of politics, left or right, this must be stopped urgently or thugs will feel emboldened.”

Leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe, questioned the prosecution process.

Referring to the fact that Thomas has been charged and will appear in court today, Lowe wrote on X that “the speed of this process is absolutely astonishing”.

Lowe added: “All individuals are entitled to the same treatment before the law, regardless of what the establishment may think of said individual.

“The pace of incident to arrest to charge to court for Danny Tommo is rapid, to say the least. I will be watching very closely.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward