Who is Danny Tommo: the Hampshire man behind multiple anti-migrant protest across the South Coast

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. A Hampshire activist has been at the centre of anti-migrant protests over the weekend helping to rally hundreds of balaclava-clad supporters to descend on the south coast Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, organised a protest in Dover on Saturday, September 5 that saw a group of hundreds of people dressed in black and wearing balaclavas block roads. He also rallied people to join Sunday's (September 6) protest in Portsmouth, where hundreds of people showed up to block Ferry Road to prevent migrants who landed in Eastney Point from leaving the peninsula. It came after 120 migrants were brought to shore to Portsmouth by an RNLI boat - the first time the city is known to have been used to bring migrants ashore, with migrants usually entering British waters via a a much shorter route to Kent. Thomas, 37, is an associate and former bodyguard of prominent right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, and grew up on Hayling Island. The dad-of-five served as a tank driver with the King's Royal Hussars, but his career was cut short and he was discharged on medical grounds after dislocating his kneecap during bayonet training before seeing active service Read the day's headlines in your inbox with the help of emails from The News - sign up for free He was previously a member of Raise the Colours, a Birmingham-based anti-migrant group, and helped to launch Operation Overlord, a series of trips to France to 'stop the boats' named after the Normandy Landings. Thomas left the group in early 2026, but still organises events under the Operation Overlord name. He was also a key figure in the UKIP party, organising a Brexit Betrayal march in 2019, and also spoke at the Tommy Robinson-organised protest in Whitehall following the Southport stabbings in 2024. In July, he launched Patriot Platform, a right-wing Christian group that aims to send a 'powerful' message that 'British patriots are organised, prepared, and ready to act'. Patriot Platform is currently running a fundraising campaign to allow it to 'operate independently', with the hopes of purchasing transportation, marine equipment and a dedicated facility to operate from. The fundraiser currently has raised over £13,000. In the wake of the protests in Portsmouth, Thomas interrupted an interview with Reform's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf in Eastney on Monday, September 8 to convey his commitment to non-violence.'What we're doing right now is creating an infrastructure of men, not for violence, not to commit crimes, but to create a voting bloc,' said Thomas. 'So, in 12, in 18 months' time, we convert into a voting bloc, and that voting bloc will go to the most suitable candidate and to the most suitable party that is able to bring this country back into order.' He told Yusuf: 'We're going to give you the opportunity to do what you're saying you're going to do. 'But if your leader, your boss, slanders me, they're going to push (us) into other parties. At the end of the day, I do like what… some (other) parties are doing. 'In reality, you have the best chances, you have the best speeches, but at the moment, it's just words. We want that to become action.' Police are currently investigating multiple assaults on seven police officers at the Portsmouth protests, as well as looking into the damage caused to a number of police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles.