There’s nothing patriotic about Danny Tommo slashing a migrant dinghy

‘Tommo’ was streaming the incident (Picture: Daniel Thomas)

Knife in hand, aboard an inflatable boat and shouting ‘This is England. This is not France any more’ – defender of the realm, Daniel Thomas aka Danny Tommo arrived in the Channel like a bad superhero no one asked for.

I know this sounds like a joke, but it isn’t.

Yesterday evening, Thomas, a far-right activist known for his links to Tommy Robinson, took things to another level when he was filmed stabbing a knife into an inflatable dinghy and slashing its side while a rescue worker was still on board, with life jackets used for rescuing people at sea.

After consecutive summers of anti-migrant violence, masked mobs have now started to gather on our shores to intimidate people seeking safety – as well as the people who rescue them.

The hatred of migrants has now become so all-encompassing that even the people trying to save lives at sea have become targets.

I wish those ‘protesting’ knew – a rescue worker is not your political opponent. 

The hatred of migrants has now become so all-encompassing (Picture: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

When migrant hotels were set on fire and migrant rights charities were targeted during the 2024 summer riots, we were told by the far-right that there were legitimate concerns to protect women and children from predators. 

Many of us couldn’t accept this excuse of ‘concern’ while our communities and livelihoods became targets and were under attack.

If those riots didn’t cross the line, then slashing an inflatable boat in the Channel with a person on board surely should. 

Whatever your political views, there can be no legitimate argument that makes putting a rescue worker at risk acceptable.

It’s utterly shocking that we’ve gotten to a point where attacking a rescue boat is presented as somehow more morally acceptable than showing compassion to those fleeing war and conflict. 

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and other organisations do not decide who deserves to be rescued – its volunteers and workers respond when anyone, no matter who they are, are in trouble at sea. 

Because of this unbiased work, RNLI crews have faced protests, abuse and intimidation. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Portsmouth lifeboat station was temporarily closed after safety concerns following protests around a previous Channel rescue.

The Channel crossing sees fatalities every year (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)

This should worry everyone. If volunteers become frightened to do rescue work because they might be targeted for helping the ‘wrong’ people, everyone who relies on them is worse off.

And for the migrants being targeted, the stakes are even higher.

I know that attempting to cross the English Channel is no small feat. While working in the migrants’ rights sector, I met many people who had made that treacherous journey as an extreme last resort. 

The Channel crossing sees fatalities every year, and those who take it know the risk they are taking for a last chance of a better life for themselves, their children and their family – by fleeing poverty, persecution or war. 

Like any other human, they deserve to be treated with dignity.

Despite the need for so many people to escape danger because of looming wars around the world, this year we have seen a six-year low for crossings.

You’ve got to wonder why, in these circumstances, anger and vitriol towards migrants has continued to fuel protests on our coastline, culminating in the far-right slashing dinghies.

That’s because it was never really about the numbers. Anti-migrant arguments have become a vehicle for something much more malicious – the normalisation of violence against migrant communities.

Anger and vitriol towards migrants has continued to fuel protests on our coastline, culminating in the far-right slashing dinghies (Picture: Danny Tommo)

Countless politicians have made immigration and small-boat crossings a central part of their campaigning, stoking a movement that is becoming more violent and bold in their actions. 

The culture that these politicians have created has led us to livestreamed confrontations at sea, with rescue workers becoming the scapegoats.

It’s well past time for Andy Burnham and the Labour government to condemn this escalation of violence and intimidation on our borders and streets.

Every passing day becomes less safe for migrant communities, those who want to welcome migrants and live in Britain’s beautiful multi-ethnic communities.

Whether you want to hear it or not, migrants have helped build this country and remain integral to many of the things that make it great. We are part of the social and historical fabric of Britain. 

And we are here to stay.

Daniel Thomas’ actions are anti-British and at extreme odds with a British tradition (Picture: Barry Williams/PA Wire)

The Britain I know meets people in need with compassion and care, not knives and vitriol. 

Daniel Thomas’ actions are anti-British and at extreme odds with a British tradition that sees lifeboat volunteers put themselves in dangerous waters to rescue people in trouble, and welcomes migrants into our communities. 

You don’t have to romanticise the country to recognise that tradition is something worth protecting. 

And with the far-right on the streets and their political allies stoking them, protecting that tradition will be harder than ever.

If we want Britain to remain a country where a person in danger is rescued before they are asked where they come from, those of us who believe in that principle, including our government, who have the power to defend it, cannot afford to stay quiet.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Add as preferred source