Great Britain | New right-wing vigilante group marches in England

A group of right-wing, anti-migrant demonstrators formed in Dover last weekend. Photo: Ay_audits/Youtube Last Saturday morning, the British media reported an unusual incident: a group of people appeared at the port of Dover on the English south coast and blocked the access road. Shortly afterwards, the first images and videos began circulating showing threatening scenes: several hundred people could be seen, all dressed in black and wearing face coverings. First they stood motionless on the street, then they marched through Dover.

At first it wasn't clear who the people were or what their purpose was, but details soon emerged. It was a new group called Patriot Platform that wanted to protest against migration with their action. "This is just the beginning," said their leader, a man named Daniel Thomas who goes by Danny Tommo.

The very next day, the members of Patriot Platform appeared in public again, this time in the coastal city of Portsmouth. A protest had formed before the arrival of a ship carrying boat refugees, and Patriot Platform was part of it; again the members wore black clothing and covered their faces.

The organization's marches mark a new tactic from the British radical right - one that is alarming anti-racist activists. So far, right-wing extremists like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (“Tommy Robinson”) have primarily mobilized protests in front of asylum centers or in city centers to demonstrate strength. Patriot Platform, on the other hand, founded just a few months ago, wants to take more targeted, direct actions. Daniel Thomas once said he wanted to build a "patriotic army" that could "take control of the United Kingdom."

According to the anti-racist organization Hope Not Hate, it is a “right-wing radical vigilante group” that operates as a network of local groups. What is particularly worrying is that Patriot Platform organizes itself with an “unusual level of discipline,” writes Joe Mullhall of Hope Not Hate. In contrast to previous mobilizations, Patriot Platform operates in secret, through closed groups and direct personal communication; For the protest in Dover, the participants apparently coordinated via radio. In this sense, the organization has more in common with football hooligans than with a traditional anti-migration group. “This is how they managed to get to Dover unnoticed by the hundreds,” writes Mulhall. Apparently there was also an instruction not to film yourself - which the participants adhered to.

It has now become known that the local police apparently received a tip about the planned march the day before, but did not respond to it.

As far as personal details are concerned, there are close connections to existing right-wing networks. Leader Daniel Thomas was formerly Yaxley-Lennon's bodyguard; he was already in prison for attempted kidnapping (although he and his accomplices got the wrong man). Many others involved come from the right-wing extremist milieu.

Joe Mullhall describes Patriot Platform's actions as a "dangerous new development in the radical right." The government needs to take much more robust action against this type of vigilante activity. So far, the government has made rather cautious statements: it condemns the protesters' tactics, but understands the "concerns" about migration. The security authorities are also criticized. The demonstration in Dover apparently caught them completely off guard - Martin Gallagher, former chief commissioner and terror expert in Scotland, spoke of an "intelligence failure". It has now become known that the local police apparently received a tip about the planned march the day before, but did not respond to it.

The emergence of Patriot Platform is worrying, but not necessarily a sign that the broader right-wing movement is gaining momentum, writes Daniel Trilling, author and expert on the right-wing scene in Great Britain. A year ago, Yaxley-Lennon organized the largest right-wing demonstration in British history; At that time, Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, was already being considered as the next prime minister. But over the past 12 months, both the street movement and Reform UK have suffered many setbacks: Farage has become increasingly embroiled in financial scandals, and Yaxley-Lennon's mobilizations this year have been disappointing. When political movements falter in this way, they often shed more extreme manifestations, writes Trilling.

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