Far-right extremists incite violence against migrants in Portsmouth, clash with police
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Hundreds of masked far-right agitators from the Patriot Platform blocked roads and confronted police in Portsmouth, attempting to intimidate vulnerable migrants. A similar display of anti-migrant hostility occurred in Dover, sparking investigations but, disturbingly, no arrests.
On Sunday night, Portsmouth witnessed a disturbing scene as hundreds of protesters, their faces hidden behind balaclavas, gathered in response to the arrival of a small boat carrying desperate migrants seeking safety. These demonstrators, emboldened by the far-right Patriot Platform, shouted xenophobic slogans like “stop the boats” and even tried to physically prevent lifeboats from rescuing migrants. Their aggression escalated as they blocked buses transporting the migrants to a processing centre, creating chaos and fear. Police were forced to engage with the mob until early Monday, launching an investigation into assaults on officers, vehicle damage, and other criminal acts. Shockingly, no arrests were made, raising questions about the authorities’ response to far-right violence.
The protest was orchestrated by the Patriot Platform, a group whose leader, Daniel Thomas, boasts a criminal record for attempted kidnapping and maintains ties to notorious far-right agitator Tommy Robinson. Thomas frames his group as a Christian “army of patriots,” but watchdog HOPE Not Hate warns that this is part of a dangerous trend of anti-migrant vigilantism threatening the social fabric.
A similar show of hate unfolded in Dover on Saturday, where masked men linked arms across a main road, deliberately causing a four-mile traffic jam and disrupting the community. Again, police reported no arrests, despite clear evidence of coordinated obstruction and intimidation.
The UK Home Office rightly condemned the “intimidating and thuggish behaviour” in Portsmouth, reiterating that while peaceful protest is a right, it must not devolve into far-right disorder. The protests come amid a toxic political climate, with migration weaponized by reactionary forces despite a decline in small-boat crossings to their lowest level since 2020.
Political leaders responded: Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, who has stoked anti-migrant hysteria by calling crossings an “invasion,” hypocritically condemned the use of balaclavas as “disgusting.” Labour MP Mike Tapp, meanwhile, denounced the demonstrators as “idiots” and called for them to go home, standing in solidarity with migrants and the rule of law.