Danny Tommo arrested after Gosport protests and Channel boat damage
Gosport protests over an expected migrant arrival led to six arrests, while the boat was taken to Dover and activist Danny Tommo was later arrested over damage to a rescue boat.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
More than 50 migrants were brought to Dover after a small boat was rescued in the English Channel, as protests in Gosport ended with six arrests and a prominent anti-migrant activist was later arrested over damage to a rescue boat.
The boat, carrying 51 people, is thought to have set off from near Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux, on Monday morning. French authorities tracked it and it spent more than 30 hours at sea. Two RNLI lifeboats, from Eastbourne and Hastings, took the migrants from the dinghy and transferred them to a Border Force vessel. The boat eventually arrived in Dover after midnight, rather than Gosport, where hundreds of protesters had gathered after reports that around 60 asylum seekers might be brought ashore.
Hampshire police said officers were deployed to Gosport and Portsmouth to help facilitate peaceful protest and keep the public safe. When it became clear the vessel would dock elsewhere, some people remained in Gosport and became hostile towards officers. Six people were arrested for offences including careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker and aggravated trespass. Police later said they were investigating a video that appeared to show Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, damaging the boat in the Channel. He was later arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life.
The rescue operation also led to a backlash against the RNLI. The lifeboat station at Eastney in Portsmouth was temporarily closed for 10 days to review crew safety and wellbeing after volunteers faced abuse online and in person. Volunteers were advised not to wear branded clothing in public. The RNLI said it had a duty of care to its people and that search and rescue cover would continue from other stations. A former RNLI museum in Poole was also closed after incidents of verbal abuse.
The events have intensified a wider debate about small boat crossings and public order on the south coast. Anti-migrant groups, including Patriotic Platform, have held protests in Dover and Portsmouth. Some protesters said they believed their presence had spooked authorities and led to the diversion to Dover. Others, including local politicians, said Gosport did not have the services to process a large arrival. Human rights groups said anger about housing, cost of living and public services should not be directed at people arriving on boats.
The Home Secretary ordered an urgent review after uncontrolled beach landings in Kent, including one on Monday and another on Tuesday. More than 200 people arrived in Dover in one morning. Small boat crossings are down about 40 per cent on last year, but around 17,000 people have crossed so far this year. Police are continuing to investigate the damage to the boat and the arrests in Gosport.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six people were arrested in Gosport for offences including careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker, and aggravated trespass. | |||||||
| A migrant dinghy left the Normandy coast and was being monitored by a French coast guard vessel near the Channel boundary. | · | ||||||
| A small boat carrying around 51 migrants, with one report of 60, was picked up after more than 33 hours at sea and taken to Dover rather than Gosport. | · | · | |||||
| Police are investigating video footage of damage to a boat in the English Channel. | · | · | |||||
| Police investigated a video showing a man, named as Danny Tommo or Tomo, slashing an inflatable rescue boat with a rescuer on board, and he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life. | · | · | |||||
| Around 200 anti-migrant protesters gathered in Gosport after reports that the boat or around 60 asylum seekers would be brought there. | · | · | · | ||||
| Police made arrests after protests, with reports ranging from two to six arrests; charges included careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker, and aggravated trespass, and online comments were investigated. | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| The RNLI lifeboat station in Portsmouth was temporarily closed. | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Anti-migrant protests and online and physical abuse directed at RNLI staff followed its involvement in bringing asylum seekers ashore. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Other RNLI and independent lifeboat stations maintained search and rescue cover. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Police made two arrests following the protests in Portsmouth. | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Portsmouth RNLI temporarily closed its lifeboat station and advised volunteers not to wear branded clothing after anti-migrant protests and abuse. | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV focused on the RNLI station closure in Portsmouth and the abuse faced by volunteers, rather than the Gosport arrests. It framed the pause in operations as a duty-of-care response and noted a similar closure in Poole. The coverage gave less detail on the Channel crossing itself.
- “This is the lifeboat station at Eastney in Portsmouth. It's been temporarily closed following a well-publicized anti-migrant protest and following abuse directed at volunteers.”
- “Charity members have also had abuse directed towards them to the point where they were advised not to wear even branded clothing out in public.”
- “We have a duty of care to our people. We therefore took the decision to pause activity at the station to review carefully crew safety and well-being to support those involved in the incident on September 6.”
GB News covered the story as a live, rolling anti-migration segment, with strong criticism of the French and British response. It highlighted police vans, empty coaches and the cost to taxpayers, questioned whether the boat was in distress and floated the idea that the Gosport destination was a red herring. The tone was opinionated and confrontational.
- “six people were arrested in Gosport after anti-illegal migrant protesters, quotes, became hostile towards officers.”
- “The people on it didn't seem to be in so much distress that they wanted to get into a French lifeboat. So why are we sending the RNLI out to go and help them?”
- “It's only going to take one metaphorical shot across the bow to prevent the rest of them coming.”
The BBC News bulletin gave a short, neutral account centred on the protesters who gathered in Gosport and the fact that the boat was diverted to Dover. It highlighted the masked crowd, the six arrests and the viral video of a rescue boat being slashed. It did not develop the RNLI safety angle.
- “Here in the UK hundreds of anti-migrant demonstrators turned up at a former naval base in Gosport in Hampshire.”
- “It was over the expected arrival of a boat carrying asylum seekers that actually in the end went to Dover.”
- “there's one live streamer filmed slashing a rescue boat and the rescuer was still in the boat at the time and that's gone viral on social media”
Sky News provided the most detailed operational timeline, including the boat's departure point, the length of the journey and the transfer between RNLI and Border Force vessels. It also focused on the role of Danny Tommo and his live stream, and later reported his arrest. The coverage treated the diversion to Dover and the protests as part of a tactical cat-and-mouse story.
- “Six people have been arrested after a group of protesters gathered in the Hampshire town of Gosport, ahead of the expected arrival of a boat carrying migrants to shore.”
- “The leader of that group, who calls himself Danny Tommo, was actually out in the channel, streaming live for many hours during the handover of those migrants.”
- “An anti-migrant protester, Danny Tommo, has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life.”
Channel 4's summary was brief and straight, focusing on the arrest figure, the number of people on the boat and the diversion to Dover. It did not include the later arrest of Danny Tommo or the RNLI station closures. The tone was factual and compact.
- “Six protesters have been arrested after a small boat carrying 51 people arrived in Dover.”
- “Coast guards said the migrants had been at sea for 36 hours and had been heading to Gosport where hundreds of protesters began gathering.”
- “The migrants were eventually taken to Dover instead by Border Force.”
5 News blended the breaking protest story with local colour from Gosport and a wider reality check on small boat numbers. It aired interviews with locals and a human rights group, giving space to both anti-migrant views and criticism of vigilante action. It also reported the police investigation into the boat slashing.
- “Six protesters were arrested and police are now investigating a video showing the activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tomo, slashing the inflatable in the channel.”
- “Us showing up last night, I hope it terrified them in a way, because then it shows they won't be allowed to come in without any consequences.”
- “If you are angry about housing, if you are angry about cost of living, if you are angry at the fact that you cannot get a dentist appointment in your area, those are not issues caused by people coming on boats.”
BBC One West combined a detailed lunchtime news report with a later Question Time debate. The news report covered the arrivals in Dover, the Gosport protests, the slashing video and an urgent review into uncontrolled beach landings. Question Time then widened the frame to public concern about illegal migration and condemnation of masked, threatening protesters.
- “More than 50 migrants have arrived in Dover this morning after being picked up by the RNLI following more than 30 hours at sea.”
- “This video, which he live-streamed, shows him slashing an inflatable boat with a knife while a rescuer is still on board. Police say they're conducting inquiries into the matter.”
- “I don't want to see threatening behaviour, what we want to see is peaceful protests is one thing, threatening protests, no, that is not okay.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 23:06 BST
- 23:18 BST
Andrew Neil, titan of British journalism, a former editor of the Sunday Times
“I would ban masks on demonstrations.”
Question Time · Thu 24 Sept - 23:22 BST
- 17:04 BST
“We don't need vigilante action in the channel, it doesn't make anyone safer, it makes our job much harder.”
5 News with Dan Walker · Wed 23 Sept - 17:20 BST
Cornwall Council, Cornwall Council
“Cornwall Council say the device”
5 News with Dan Walker · Wed 23 Sept - 17:29 BST
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.