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Danny Tommo

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Danny Tommo
Daniel Thomas at an anti-immigration protest in Highfield, Southampton, October 2025
Thomas in 2025
Born
Daniel Thomas

(1988-12-25) 25 December 1988 (age 37)
OccupationRoofer
Known for
Children4

Daniel Thomas (born 25 December 1988[1][2]), known publicly as Danny Tommo, is a British far-right[3] activist[4] who founded the anti-immigration group Patriot Platform.

Following his release from prison in 2016, he became a bodyguard for Tommy Robinson followed by involvement with UKIP. Tommo later became a member of Raise the Colours, but left the group after falling out with the co-founder. His anti-migrant vigilantism with the group resulted in being banned from entering France. By posting footage from anti-migrant protests, Tommo has cultivated a following on social media.

In July 2016, Thomas pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and was sentenced to two years in prison. In August 2026, he pleaded guilty to one charge relating to attempts he allegedly made to film asylum seekers who had been rescued from small boats in the English Channel. A month later, Tommo was charged with criminal damage relating to a dinghy in the same channel.

Background

Thomas grew up on Hayling Island near Portsmouth.[5] According to Hope Not Hate, he attended a public school in Hampshire.[6]

Early career

Thomas served in the British Army as a tank driver with the King’s Royal Hussars. However, his military career ended before he saw active service when he was medically discharged after dislocating his kneecap during bayonet training.[7]

Before his political activism Tommo worked as bricklayer, a sales and marketing manager, and ran a web design firm.[8] During a September 2026 court appearance, his barrister said that he was a "professional roofer by trade".[9]

Political activism

Following his release from prison after a conviction for attempted kidnap in 2016, Tommo became a close associate and bodyguard for English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.[10] In 2018, Tommo was photographed with Robinson at a planning event for a UKIP “Brexit Betrayal” rally, which was held the following year.[2][8]

Tommo cultivated a following on social media platforms such as X and YouTube by regularly posting footage from anti-migrant protests, as well as interviews and viewpoints on Robinson, and supporting him during court cases.[2]

In December 2019, Tommo was arrested while taking part in a counter-rally to an anti-Trump protest outside Buckingham Palace.[8]

During the riots that followed the 2024 Southport stabbings, Tommo told his social media followers "Every city needs to go up".[11]

In April 2026, Tommo promoted protests in Epsom after it had been alleged online that a woman had been gang-raped. Surrey Police later said they had "not found any evidence" of the offence as reported, but the investigation was ongoing.[12] The police subsequently closed the case after it appeared the woman concerned made a "confused report" after sustaining "an accidental head injury" following a night out.[13]

On 27 September, the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, was asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg whether he thought Tommo was a racist. Burnham responded that while he doesn't "just throw labels on people" and that he hadn't observed everything that he had said and done, "It's hard to conclude that he's anything other than someone who has racist views". He called his actions "the worst kind of hateful behaviour".[14]

Raise the Colours

In January 2026, Tommo was one of 10 British nationals banned from entering France for engaging in anti-migrant vigilantism with the group Raise the Colours.[15] According to Searchlight, in leaked voice recordings between Tommo and Raise the Colours co-founder Ryan Bridge, Tommo told Bridge that he felt it was time for him to "move away from Tommy [Robinson]" and that while he "loved him to bits", Robinson was no longer the right person for his ambitions. Searchlight states that Raise the Colours was the "vehicle Tommo initially saw as a route to a bigger role on the far right".[16] He subsequently left the group after he fell out with Bridge.[17][18][19][20]

Belfast riots

In June 2026, Tommo travelled to Belfast during the 2026 Northern Ireland riots.[21] He was subsequently incorrectly identified in social media posts to be the victim of the stabbing attack that precipitated the riots. His photo appeared in posts purporting to identify the victim, who was in fact an Irish man named Stephen Ogilvie.[22][21]

Patriot Platform

What I've witnessed in Belfast has given me the inspiration to realise that when everyone gets involved who's committed, a change can be made. [...] We are going to produce a patriotic army of thousands and thousands of English and British men that are done with protesting, done with walking down roads, and want to make a difference.

— Danny Tommo, June 2026[6]

In June or July 2026, Tommo formed a group called Patriot Platform.[2] In a video, he declared his intent to establish the group a day after the riots in Belfast.[6] He then held recruitment rallies during summer 2026.[23] He said that members of Patriot Platform are "encouraged to give their life to Jesus [and] to go to church".[24]

The group, led by Tommo, was behind an anti-immigration protest in Dover on 5 September 2026 and the following night in Portsmouth to try to stop newly arrived migrants being taken to a processing centre.[25][26][27][28][29] Tommo livestreamed the Portsmouth protest from the scene.[30] On the livestream, he filmed himself and another, bare-chested man, running along a beach, shouting at emergency workers.[2] According to The National, Tommo was subsequently "widely mocked for clambering into the sea in the apparent belief that police can’t arrest people if they’re swimming".[31]

On 9 September 2026, a protest led by Tommo was held outside the London office of the Daily Mail demanding that the newspaper buy a new house for Tommo's mother, after he said that it had "doxxed” her by publishing the name of the town she lives in and the name of his roofing firm.[32][33][34] Tommo later appealed for donations online to help his mother move house.[34] During the protest he offered to pay supporters, in cash, for any work they had missed to attend.[35]

Later in September 2026, after Tommo said that thousands of Patriot Platform members could travel to Piddington, Oxfordshire to prevent asylum seekers being moved to the site, should plans to use a former military site to house them go ahead, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Tommo was "a far-right and outright racist" who would feel "the full force of the law" should Patriot Platform commit any crimes near sites including Piddington.[36]

Criminal charges

2016 conviction for attempted kidnapping

In July 2016, Thomas pleaded guilty to attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint. Along with two others, he broke into the man's house armed with knives, shouting "You're coming with us". The group falsely alleged that the man had stolen £10,000 worth of drugs from them.[10] The judge, who sentenced Thomas to two years in prison, called the incident "extraordinarily frightening" and said it was matched only by its "stupidity".[10] The judge told Thomas and his accomplices "Go and serve your sentences, learn the lesson and for God's sake don't get involved in anything as stupid again".[2]

2026 Port of Dover charges

In August 2026, Tommo appeared at Margate Magistrates' Court on charges relating to small boats in the English Channel as they were landed at the Port of Dover. He pleaded guilty to entering a restricted harbour area and not guilty to charges including using threatening or abusive words or behaviour and using racially abusive words or behaviour, with the next hearing in October 2026.[37][38]

2026 Dinghy slashing and criminal damage charges

On 22 September 2026, Tommo recorded himself on a small boat on the English Channel, tracking two dinghies that were carrying asylum seekers. As the migrants were assisted off one of the dinghies, he approached it, shouting "Let's get rid of that boat". He then slashed the side of the dinghy with a knife while a French rescue worker was still on board.[39][40] Police said that they were examining footage of him slashing the dinghy.[41] Soon after, the RNLI facilitated the transfer of the asylum seekers to a Border Force vessel. On social media, Tommo called on his followers to travel to Gosport to conduct a protest where the Border Force were expected to land the asylum seekers.[39]

The day after the slashing, Tommo was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life, as well as several offences under maritime law.[42][43] He recorded his arrest, which was streamed on his YouTube channel. The next evening, police announced that Tommo had been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone PIN. That evening, around 200 supporters gathered outside a police investigation centre in Basingstoke, believing that he was inside.[44]

On 25 September, Tommo entered a plea of not guilty to both charges via video link to Basingstoke Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody until a scheduled appearance at Portsmouth Crown Court.[45] On 29 September, he was refused bail and was again remanded into custody. The date of trial was set for 1 March 2027.[46]

Personal life

Tommo has four children. His partner is pregnant with their fifth child.[47]

Declaration of Christian faith has become part of Tommo's public persona. He was photographed at St Lawrence Church, Morden in February and March 2026, and has said: "I have repented my sins and, under Jesus Christ, I am a new man".[35] The BBC journalist Daniel Sandford described Tommo's public Christianity as potentially "a way of painting the UK as a Christian country, and Muslim immigrants as outsiders".[35]

References

  1. ↑ POLICE BOXED US IN On The Way To Church With My Son In The Car!. 13 September 2026. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ross, Alex (7 September 2026). "The Tommy Robinson associate behind Portsmouth and Dover anti-migrant protests". The Independent. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Hope, Christopher (1 December 2018). "Revealed: far-Right Ukip Brexit demo 'organiser' is a convicted kidnapper". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 5. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  4. ↑ Ross, Alex (7 September 2026). "Who is Danny Tommo? The far-right activist who brought protests to Portsmouth". The Independent. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Sandford, Daniel (7 September 2026). "What we know about anti-migrant protests and organiser Danny Thomas". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Burgess, Sanya (7 September 2026). "The ex-public schoolboy behind small boat demos – who hasn't stopped a single dinghy". The i Paper. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Who is Danny Tommo, the Portsmouth local behind multiple anti-migrant protests?". The News. 8 September 2026. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Yadav, Niva (7 September 2026). "Who is 'Danny Tommo'? Tommy Robinson ally at centre of anti-migrant protests". The Standard. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "Anti-migrant activist Danny Tommo pleads not guilty to criminal damage over 'boat slashing'". Sky News. 25 September 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Beal, James (6 September 2026). "Who is 'Danny Tommo', the man behind Port of Dover protests?". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Gadher, Dipesh (9 May 2026). "Far-right vigilante detained over 'stop the boats' mission". The Times. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  12. ↑ Gohil, Neha (17 April 2026). "Police say no evidence found of reported gang-rape in Epsom". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Bevan, Nathan (23 April 2026). "No rape took place outside Epsom church, say police". BBC. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Pike, Joe (27 September 2026). "PM criticises 'hateful behaviour', but concedes people have 'real worries about immigration'". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  15. ↑ Burgess, Sanya; Forrest, Adam (6 September 2026). "Everything we know about Dover protesters... who stopped the wrong boats". The i Paper. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Is Danny Tommo a threat or a clown? Actually, he's a bit of both". Searchlight. 9 September 2026. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  17. ↑ Burgess, Sanya (19 January 2026). "British vigilantes turn on each other as anti-migrant group splinters". The i Paper. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  18. ↑ Taylor, Diane (19 January 2026). "'They're emboldened': British far-right activists step up harassment of asylum seekers in northern France". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Betrayal and 'sinister' threats as Danny Tommo splits from Raise the Colours". Searchlight. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  20. ↑ Sandford, Daniel (12 September 2026). "Masked men, lorries and road blocks: How anti-migrant activists are changing tactics". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2026. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Belfast knife attack: False images, misinformation fuel anti-immigration riots". France 24. 11 June 2026. Archived from the original on 9 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "Fact Check: Anti-immigration activist incorrectly identified as Belfast knife victim". Reuters. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  23. ↑ Katz, Daniel (6 September 2026). "Danny Tommo's sinister flash mob shuts down Dover – but where were the police?". Searchlight. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  24. ↑ Hill, Patrick (12 September 2026). "Patriot Platform leader Danny Tommo Thomas plans to lay siege to asylum centres". www.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  25. ↑ Hall, Rachel (6 September 2026). "Black-clad Dover vigilantes will return if police do not act, say campaigners". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Police response to Dover protests set to come under scrutiny, as Tommy Robinson associate appears to claim credit". Sky News. 6 September 2026. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "Patriot Platform's masked members march on Dover". Hope Not Hate. 5 September 2026. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Taylor, Diane; Moloney, Charlie (7 September 2026). "Hundreds of far-right protesters descend on Portsmouth after small boat arrival". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Hundreds of protesters gather in Portsmouth after small boat arrival - as 'thuggish' behaviour condemned". Sky News. 7 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  30. ↑ Jones, Simon; Graham, Chris; Rhoden-Paul, André (7 September 2026). "Protesters block roads in Portsmouth after 140 migrants arrive in boat". BBC. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Far-right agitator Danny Tommo runs into sea to cower from police in bizarre video". The National. 7 September 2026. Archived from the original on 7 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Beal, James (9 September 2026). "The man who 'Danny Tommo' tried to kidnap brands the activist an idiot". The Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2026. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  33. ↑ "Danny Tommo doxxes his own mum and blames the Daily Mail". Searchlight. 10 September 2026. Archived from the original on 10 September 2026. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  34. 1 2 Gentleman, Amelia (12 September 2026). "From black-clad agitators to an appeal for 'Tommo's Mum': an unsettling week with the Patriot Platform". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  35. 1 2 3 Sandford, Daniel (12 September 2026). "Hardened activists are changing tactics and mobilising the anti-migrant vote". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  36. ↑ Syal, Rajeev (18 September 2026). "'Outright racist' Daniel Thomas will face full force of law over any crimes, says home secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  37. ↑ Katz, Daniel (27 August 2026). "'Racially abusive' Danny Tommo faces trial over Dover exploits". Searchlight. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  38. ↑ Bancroft, Holly (27 August 2026). "Anti-migrant activist charged after 'breaking into Port of Dover to shout at boat arrivals'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  39. 1 2 Gentleman, Amelia; Taylor, Diane; Morris, Steven; Quinn, Ben (23 September 2026). "Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy in Channel with blade while rescue worker onboard". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  40. ↑ Chakelian, Anoosh (23 September 2026). "Danny Tommo's battle for the Channel". New Statesman. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  41. ↑ Sandford, Daniel (23 September 2026). "Police examine video of anti-migrant activist slashing dinghy with knife". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  42. ↑ "Anti-migrant protester Danny Tommo arrested after boat with emergency worker on damaged in Channel". Sky News. 24 September 2026.
  43. ↑ Gentleman, Amelia; Taylor, Diane (24 September 2026). "Police arrest far-right activist Daniel Thomas after dinghy slashed in Channel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  44. ↑ "Anti-migrant activist Danny Tommo charged with criminal damage over 'boat slashing'". Sky News. 24 September 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  45. ↑ Humphrey, Steve (25 September 2026). "Daniel Thomas pleads not guilty after dinghy slashed". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  46. ↑ "Daniel Thomas refused bail over alleged boat damage". BBC News. 29 September 2026.
  47. ↑ Rawlinson, Kevin (25 September 2026). "Daniel Thomas pleads not guilty after alleged dinghy slashing in Channel". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
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