Daniel Thomas, known as "Danny Tommo," has been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone PIN after allegedly slashing an inflatable dinghy being used by migrants to cross the English Channel, with a rescue crew member on board at the time. Tommy Robinson attended Basingstoke Magistrates' Court in support of Thomas, following a significant protest the previous evening where approximately 250 members of Thomas's group, Patriot Platform, gathered outside the police station. The incident highlights ongoing tensions surrounding anti-migrant activism and direct action against cross-Channel migration operations.

The migrant boat involved contained 51 people who had been at sea for 38 hours before being brought ashore in Dover by the coast guard. Thomas reportedly journeyed out to sea on Tuesday as the crossing attempt was taking place, and video footage allegedly showed him stabbing at the dinghy. The protest outside Basingstoke Police Station occurred on Thursday evening starting around 6:30pm, with supporters chanting whilst police vans and a drone monitored the gathering. Thomas had livestreamed part of his arrest from a BP garage, and the protesters dispersed peacefully around 9:30pm. Tommy Robinson had encouraged his supporters via social media to attend the protest, though he attended the court hearing personally.