Danny Tommo arrested over Channel boat damage as Gosport protest arrests rise

An anti-migrant activist has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life after a boat was damaged in the English Channel, as the fallout from protests in Gosport over migrant arrivals continues.

Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, was arrested after Hampshire Police said a man, 37, had been held over damage to a boat that had an emergency responder on board. The arrest followed video footage that appeared to show him slashing a migrant dinghy while a rescue worker was on board. He had live-streamed the incident and his arrest.

The arrest is the latest development in a story that has seen two related flashpoints on the south coast. In Gosport, around 150 migrants were brought ashore by RNLI lifeboats after crossing the English Channel from France. The Home Office said about 150 people were on board; other reports said 149. The dinghy had been shadowed by French authorities before RNLI crews met it in English waters. The arrivals triggered a standoff at a former naval base and marina, where anti-migrant protesters let off flares, scuffles broke out, and police made arrests. One report said 11 arrests, mostly for public order offences; another said 12, including assaulting an emergency worker. Protesters placed traffic cones and nails across roads to try to stop coaches leaving. The migrants were eventually taken to a processing centre in Kent under heavy police escort. A clean-up operation began in Gosport the next morning.

The local MP and the police and crime commissioner said Gosport was not a safe or suitable place to disembark migrants. The commissioner said such protests and landings cost her police budget about £150,000. The Home Office said small boat crossings are down by around 44% this year compared with last year. The government also said there should be no vigilante action in the Channel. A human rights group said anger about housing, the cost of living, and access to services was not caused by people arriving on boats.

In a separate but linked episode, a small boat carrying 51 people was expected to land at Gosport but was taken to Dover instead after hundreds of protesters gathered. Six people were arrested. Video showed Daniel Thomas slashing an inflatable boat while a rescue worker was on board, and police said they were investigating. The crossing was unusual because the dinghy had set off from Normandy, far west along the French coast, and those on board had spent more than 30 hours at sea. The French Coast Guard said those on board were determined to take all risks to reach the UK. Border Force later brought more than 200 people ashore in a single morning, and the Home Secretary ordered an urgent review after two uncontrolled beach landings.

The RNLI also paused operations at its Eastney lifeboat station in Portsmouth for a safety review after volunteers faced online and in-person abuse. Crews were advised not to wear branded clothing in public. The charity said search and rescue cover would continue through flank RNLI and independent lifeboat stations coordinated by HM Coastguard. Police made two arrests following protests there.

The events have intensified a wider political argument. Reform UK called for the Royal Navy to be deployed in the Channel and for all people in the country illegally to be deported. A government minister said vigilante action made the job of tackling small boats harder. Local campaigners said they felt helpless and wanted the government to listen, while critics of the protests described masked demonstrators as intimidating. The debate has also touched on the pressure on public services and the falling number of crossings this year.