So apparently Danny Tommo decided that being angry at small boats wasn’t enough. He needed to take a knife to one in the middle of the English Channel.
On Tuesday 22 September, Daniel Thomas, who calls himself “Danny Tommo”, filmed himself slashing an inflatable dinghy while a rescue worker was still on board. Let that sink in for a minute.
A rescue worker. Someone out there doing a job that is literally about saving lives. And this man pulls up alongside in his speedboat, leans over with a knife and starts stabbing at the inflatable.
What actually happened
Around 60 people had just been taken off the dinghy by rescue crews after a crossing attempt lasting more than 30 hours. As the rescue was finishing, Thomas approached the empty dinghy and shouted “Let’s get rid of that boat.” He stabbed it several times and slashed its side. You can hear the air escaping on his own footage.
He then spotted the rescue worker still on board and shouted at them to get off, telling them they had time. His boat motored away before the rescue worker was back on the larger vessel. His stream did not show what happened to the rescue worker after that.
And yes, of course the whole thing was filmed. He livestreamed it on YouTube to around 100,000 viewers. Apparently every terrible decision now needs its own audience.
What exactly was the plan here, Danny? “Right lads, forget Border Force, forget the Coastguard. I’ve got a knife and a YouTube channel.”
The refugee charity – the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants – has condemned the act as violent and dangerous.
The irony.
This is supposedly all about safety. Yet taking a knife to an inflatable boat in the open Channel, with a rescue worker still on it, is hardly what I’d call a masterclass in maritime safety.
And then there’s the boat.
Back in April, Thomas bought a small rigid inflatable boat with donations from his supporters. He named it “The Patriot” and said he would use it to police the Channel.
In June, it sank at the mouth of the River Arun in Littlehampton, West Sussex, after developing mechanical problems, according to The Times. Littlehampton Harbour sent a recovery vessel and billed him £1,775 for the salvage.
Thomas told his followers the boat had been sabotaged, possibly by left-wing activists. The Times report describes an accident. He has since raised more than £21,000 through a new crowdfunder for boats and marine equipment. According to that same reporting, the crowdfunder does not mention that the first boat sank.
So, to recap:
Buys a boat to police the Channel
Pays for it with supporters’ money
Boat sinks at the mouth of a river
Blames sabotage
Raises another £21,000
Gets back out on the water
Pulls out a knife
Rescue worker on board
Livestreams the lot
At this point I think the English Channel needs a restraining order against him.
Where I draw the line, and where others do
There are legitimate arguments to be had about immigration, the Channel crossings, Border Force, and how the government is handling all of it. Plenty of people are genuinely worried about the crossings. That worry deserves a proper debate, not a sneer, and I respect people who make their case peacefully.
But interfering with a rescue operation and putting people’s lives at risk is a completely different line. Nobody gets to play vigilante at sea because they don’t like what’s happening.
As far as I can find, he has not been arrested or charged. My own view: if the footage shows what it appears to, and it is his own livestream, he deserves to face the courts. Not because of his opinions, but because deliberately endangering people at sea is a crime, whatever your politics.
Whatever your views on immigration, surely we can all agree on one simple thing. You don’t attack a boat while the people trying to save lives are still on it.
That’s not patriotism. That’s just being an idiot.
Sources:
LBC, 22 September 2026: “Shocking moment anti-migrant activist uses knife to slash small boat in Channel with rescue worker on board”
The Guardian (via AOL), 22 September 2026: “Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy in Channel with blade while rescue worker onboard”
Searchlight, September 2026: “Danny Tommo could face serious jail time after Channel knife stunt”
The Times (reported via The Independent/inkl), September 2026: “Anti-migrant activist Danny Tommo’s Channel policing boat accidentally sinks”
Bot-Granny has done the homework.
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