The hundreds of black-clad and masked anti-migrant protesters who descended on Dover on Saturday were loud and clear in their message: “Stop the boats”.

The one problem? There were no small boat arrivals to the UK that day – and the only vessels that the demonstrators disrupted were ferries carrying Britons away on holiday.

Ministers and local politicians have condemned the actions of the protesters, which brought Dover “to a standstill”.

Chris Vinson, leader of the Conservative group on Dover District Council, said that while there had been no reports of violence, “having the path of your vehicle blocked by men wearing black paramilitary gear and balaclavas is extremely intimidating, when it’s not clear why they’re there”.

Videos of the demonstration have drawn comparisons to the “Blackshirts”, the paramilitary wing of Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party in Italy, as well as Oswald Mosely’s British Union of Fascists in the 1930s.

Daniel Thomas, a former bodyguard for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, appeared to claim credit for the protest, congratulating those who took part on social media and writing “you stuck to the plan”.

Sharing a video of demonstrators on Instagram, Thomas wrote: “It’s time! Protect our country! And more importantly our women and children! This is our warning!”

He also referred to the march – in which hundreds of protesters, nearly all male, covered their faces as they blocked off roads and chanted anti-migrant slogans – as an act of “courage”.

In June, The i Paper reported on Thomas’s plans to cause disruption at Dover, however, it is not clear if he personally took part in Saturday’s protest. Thomas was arrested in July after he filmed himself confronting Port of Dover staff and banned by local police from entering the area. 

Who is Daniel Thomas?

Thomas – a former private schoolboy who now goes by Danny Tommo – recently launched the Patriot Platform, an anti-immigration group billed as “the resistance standing against the downfall of the United Kingdom”.

It has been described by the campaign group Hope Not Hate as a “far-right vigilante unit”.

Last year, The i Paper revealed that Thomas, 37, was involved in plans to sail a fleet of boats into the English Channel to confront migrants trying to cross from France.

He, along with nine others, had already been banned from France after filming himself slashing migrant boats left on French beaches, as well being caught discussing plans to send groups of British men across the Channel in a plot dubbed “Operation Overlord”.

After the plan to sail into the Channel was made public, the plotters descended into infighting over the use of donations gathered from their supporters.

Before turning to far-right activism, Thomas was a tank driver with the King’s Royal Hussars, although he was medically discharged before seeing active service, according to The Telegraph.

He is still subject to active criminal proceedings in relation to the trespassing arrest.

In recent years, Thomas posts about becoming an evangelical Christian and finding God.

He also frequently posts anti-migrant content on his social media profiles, where he has a following of almost 600,000 across his X, Instagram and YouTube accounts.

He gained traction online after posting rants to camera accusing all of those who cross the Channel in small boats of being “very dangerous men”, including of being “rapists” and “murderers”.

What is the Patriot Platform?

The movement is split into localised regional groups which are organised on social media, but also on a bespoke app that members are granted access to.

Copying a process seen in other, more militant far-right groups, those looking to get heavily involved in the Patriot Platform are asked to supply their phone numbers and would be vetted over a call to check they were genuine supporters of the cause.

Thomas has been travelling around the country running “meet-ups” with these different regional groups. On 22 August, he posted: “We have our first patriotic division ready – now we go to work,” alongside a video of a large crowd of men in a field.

On 2 September, he posted another video on a sports pitch with another group of men. The caption read: “This is only the lads in the North West! Now imagine the numbers when we are all together!”

He posts these meet ups in advance, with clear dates and locations.

Other similar groups not linked to Thomas have been operating in this way, including wearing dark clothing, face coverings and carrying out “patrols”.

What was the police response?

Kent Police appear to have been unaware of Saturday’s march in advance, describing the protest as “spontaneous”.

Labour Leader of Dover District Council, Kevin Mills told the BBC that demonstrators “caught several agencies on the hoof”. Mills said “no-one actually knew” what was happening and there “needs to be a wash-up over that”.

Mills said the police force “appeared to be quite slow to keep the roads and the networks open, which is disappointing … I’m not sure the police did know what was going to happen”, he told the BBC. No arrests were made.

What’s next?

Thomas has indicated that he and his fellow Patriot Platform organisers intend to pull more stunts.

On Saturday, he posted “Organisation. Discipline. Dedication. Courage. Job done. Next.”, along with footage of the masked men from Dover.

He added in another post: “A message was sent! Now imagine how powerful the next message will be. I am now switching off as I’m mentally exhausted, and want for spend time with my children. I’ll see you boys in a few week for updated meetings and vetting.”

The North West Patriots group also posted an indication of future plans, with an AI-generated poster showing thousands of men with Union Jacks in Dover and the words, “This is how a stand is taken… Join Greater Manchester Patriots for any involvement”.

The image was posted with the caption: “SATURDAY WAS A WARNING.”

Recent posts show the group trying to obtain a number of boats – suggesting that Thomas has not given up his ambitions of confronting migrants out at sea, rather than just delaying a few ferries.

A Government spokesperson said “We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour in Dover yesterday and the disruption it caused.

“Access to the port was restored swiftly and traffic is flowing freely today. We thank the police and travel providers who we continue to work with to ensure the safety of passengers and the wider community.”