Anti-migrant protests took place in Dover and Portsmouth over the weekend, with hundreds of people participating in disruptions at both locations. The protests were organized by Danny Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, who has a history of campaigning against migrants and was previously jailed for attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint in 2016. According to the article, Thomas seems to have coordinated the protests through social media after Border Force officials inadvertently allowed him to mobilize his local support. The protests involved men in balaclavas blocking roads and were described as "well-organised and disciplined" by the article.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 6652 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-07
- Published
This weekend saw hundreds of people take part in two anti-migrant protests.
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hundreds → publish → protests
But how are they linked?
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they → link → ?
The answer is one man - Danny Thomas, more often known as Danny Tommo - and some apparently poor decision-making by Border Force officials.
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answer → know → officials
Saturday's protest in Dover saw men in black clothing and balaclavas block the town's main roads for several hours.
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men → see → hours
It was organised by Thomas - seemingly after weeks of plotting over the summer - who comes from Hayling Island near Portsmouth.
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who → organise → Portsmouth
When Border Force then had to decide where to ask the RNLI to bring a boatful of migrants ashore on Sunday after an unusual longer English Channel crossing from Baie de Seine, it opted for the Eastney landing stage.
The very place where the passenger ferry departs Portsmouth for Hayling Island.
Whether this decision was made through ignorance or incompetence, it made it very easy for Thomas to mobilise his local support late on Sunday using social media.
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Thomas → have → media
Thomas is a long-term campaigner against migrants and says he is a Christian.
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he → say → migrants
"Christ is King!" was shouted alongside "Stop the boats!" at the Dover protest.
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Christ → shout → protest
He first came to public attention in 2016 when he was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to attempting to kidnap at knifepoint a man called Graham Page.
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he → come → man
When he left prison, he became a close associate of the anti-migrant and anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
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name → leave → activist
They appear to be less close now, though Robinson has expressed support for this weekend's protests.
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Robinson → appear → protests
Thomas has spent the last year filming himself harassing migrants on the beaches of France, and sharing the videos on social media.
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himself → spend → media
In July, he announced a new venture called Patriot Platform and has been drumming up support for what he called "mass resistance", without violence.
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he → announce → violence
It describes itself as a movement by "the sons and daughters of this island" designed to "take our country back".
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It → describe → country
In a video posted on Wednesday and apparently filmed with supporters in the north west of England, Thomas tells a group of men gathered on a playing field that "something is about to go down and men from all round the country will be involved in it".
"Once we pull this off it will snowball in the entire country," he says later in the clip, in which he also tells the group the movement is about "boxing clever" and exercising "discipline".
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movement → post → discipline
"We create a violent movement now, what do you think is gonna happen?
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you → create → movement
We'll get nicked," he says.
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he → nick → ?
The Dover balaclava protest, well-organised and disciplined, was the group's first outing.
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protest → organise → ?
He seems to be borrowing ideas from groups like Just Stop Oil.
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He → seem → Oil
Kent Police described the protest in Dover as "spontaneous", but the force has since faced questions as to why it did not know about it in advance.
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it → describe → advance
The government has meanwhile condemned the "intimidating and thuggish behaviour" of protesters in Portsmouth.
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government → condemn → Portsmouth
A spokesperson added: "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder."
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it → add → disorder
