British anti-immigration activist pleads guilty to slashing migrant dinghy with rescuer aboard
Daniel Thomas, who led protests against Channel crossings, denied a separate charge of withholding his phone passcode from police and faces sentencing Nov. 18.
Daniel Thomas, a 37-year-old British anti-immigration activist, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 12, to one count of criminal damage at Portsmouth Crown Court. UPI reports he appeared by video link from prison. The charge concerns Sept. 22, when he used a knife on an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel while a French rescue services member was aboard.
No migrants were on the boat at the time, and UPI reports no one was hurt. Video of the incident was posted on social media. Thomas founded Patriot Platform, a group that organized anti-immigrant protests in Dover and Portsmouth in September.
He pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of failing to give police the passcode to his phone. UPI reports he had earlier pleaded not guilty to the damage charge before magistrates in Basingstoke on Sept. 25. Thomas remains in custody and faces a possible prison term.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 18. The U.K. government has condemned the "intimidating and thuggish behavior" of anti-immigrant demonstrators. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government credits closer law enforcement work with France with helping cut crossings by more than 40% in the year to date, compared with 2025.
- more than 41,000people making the Channel crossing last yearABC News
- more than 40%reduction in crossings in the year to date versus 2025, which the Burnham government says cooperation with France helped bring aboutABC News
- about 50 migrantsearlier rescued from the dinghy, per UPIUPI
Three sides of the story
Liberal1 outlet
A far-right activist's plea and crossing politics
ABC News runs the AP wire report under the headline "Far-right UK activist pleads guilty to slashing migrant dinghy in the English Channel." It opens with the plea. It then says a social media video of the incident on Sept. 22 shows Thomas cutting the boat with a knife, and quotes him: "This is England" and "Take them back."
The report sets the case in the politics of crossings. It notes that politicians including Nigel Farage of the "hard-right" Reform UK have called the issue a crisis.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's "center-left" government, it says, believes cooperation with France has helped reduce crossings by more than 40% in the year to date, compared with 2025. It cites the government's condemnation of "intimidating and thuggish behavior," describes Thomas as a longtime associate of Tommy Robinson, and says several hundred supporters chanted "Free DT" outside a police station. It ends on his custody and the Nov. 18 sentencing.
Center2 outlets
The changed plea and the dinghy incident
The Seattle Times runs the same AP wire report, opening with the plea and quoting Thomas: "Take them back." It adds the government's condemnation and the more than 41,000 people who crossed last year. UPI writes its own account and leads with Thomas switching his plea to guilty by video link from prison, after pleading not guilty before Basingstoke magistrates on Sept. 25.
On Sept. 22, UPI says, about 50 migrants had earlier been rescued and moved to Dover, while a French Coast Guard officer stayed on the dinghy. No one was hurt. UPI says the Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 marches in Dover and Portsmouth blocked roads but were peaceful after Thomas told supporters to march in silence.
UPI gives the sentencing day as Wednesday and says he remains in custody. Both reports say he pleaded not guilty to the passcode charge.
Conservative0 outlets
Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.
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All sources: 3 articles from 3 outlets
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