Robin Burkhardt told the BBC he first thought Russians had invaded. The Dover resident was looking at hundreds of men dressed in black, faces hidden by paramilitary-style balaclavas, who had shut down the roads leading to the port for several hours. They chanted “Christ is King” and “Stop the Boats.”
That was the first big operation by Patriot Platform, a new British anti-migrant movement. Its organiser, Daniel Thomas, known online as Danny Tommo, posted on Instagram: “This is our warning.”
From Dover to Portsmouth
A second protest followed in Portsmouth, set up by Thomas through a social media live stream. Activists there tried to block coaches and to target lifeboats bringing asylum seekers ashore. Police reported vehicle damage and injuries afterward. The tactics break from earlier British far-right demonstrations and resemble the direct action of environmental groups such as Just Stop Oil, mixed with Christian nationalist themes.
Thomas, 37, is a former tank driver and former bodyguard for Tommy Robinson. He runs the movement mostly through online platforms and live streams. He says street marches no longer work. “For too long we’ve been walking down roads and waving flags and thinking this is somehow going to save us,” he said. He insists the group is disciplined: “We have clear rules, no shouting, no alcohol, no flag waving, no drugs.” And he says its members are not thugs: “We’re doing this under Christianity. We’re doing this with Christian British and English men.”
Thomas has a criminal record for attempted kidnapping. In October he is due in court over allegations of entering a restricted zone in Dover and threatening behaviour.
Condemnation from all sides
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood met senior police officers on Thursday and urged them to use their full powers against protesters wearing face coverings. The black clothing and balaclavas, she said, signalled fear and malign intent to local residents.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the display “disgusting” and “horrible” and said balaclavas have no place at political protests. Bishop Arun Arora of Kirkstall said the cross on such marches was being used as “a fashion accessory utilised by opportunists” rather than a sign of real faith.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope Not Hate, called the movement’s emergence “an alarming development” and pointed to its vigilante style and clandestine coordination.
