MP accuses Danny Tommo of creating ‘protest tourism industry’ after attacks on emergency workers in Portsmouth
Police, paramedics and RNLI volunteers faced abuse after anti-migrant protests
Amanda Martin MP accused Daniel Thomas, known online as Danny Tommo, and his Patriot Platform for creating a "protest tourism industry” at a debate addressing the abuse faced by emergency workers after anti-migrant protests in Portsmouth and Gosport earlier this year.
Ms Martin called a debate in Parliament yesterday (Novemeber 11) to ask members of the House of Commons to consider the safety of emergency workers, accusing anti-migrant activists of stirring up division and stating that some of the violence police, paramedics and RNLI volunteers faced during the protests was “disturbing”.
She said: “Our emergency workers run towards danger when the rest of us would instinctively run away. They do it because it is their duty, and because they care. In the case of organisations such as the RNLI and the coastguard, they volunteer their own time to save complete strangers.
“The very least they should expect in return is to do their job without being assaulted, threatened or intimidated. Sadly, recent events in and around Portsmouth have shown that that cannot be taken for granted.
“On 6 September, protesters gathered at Eastney pier in an attempt to prevent migrants rescued from a small boat being taken out of the area. Further protests followed in neighbouring Gosport on 22 September and 4 October. There have been convictions for violent offences connected to those protests, and other cases remain before the courts.
“The cases that have concluded give the House a very disturbing indication of what emergency workers faced. On 22 September, Shannon Dodds concealed her identity with a mask and sunglasses before spraying a noxious substance into the face of two police constables. Sally Pearson punched an officer, causing a suspected ligament injury that has left him unable to work for three weeks, and she then directed racial abuse at another officer.
“Behind those assaults are real people - officers who went home injured, families worried about their loved ones and colleagues left to pick up the pieces. Local workers and volunteers have been doxxed, with photographs of their personal information, including home addresses, shared online.
“People have received death threats and letters sent to their homes. One worker said that by the time he had left the protest after his 25-hour shift and gone home, he saw his address all over X. He was very distraught about that and what it would do to his family. I have also heard of one worker who has not been home since June because they were misidentified online.”
Ms Martin also addressed abuse endured by RNLI volunteers. She said: “Videos from the Eastney disorder showed protesters shouting, ‘Effing traitors,’ and, ‘I hope you effing lot sink,’ at the RNLI boats. Those words were directed at people whose only purpose is to save lives.
“The intimidation extends beyond the protests: I have heard reports of RNLI crew members’ children being harassed, and volunteers and staff being advised not to wear service-branded clothing in public for fear of abuse.
“The RNLI told me that it saw 140 reports of abuse and aggression across the country in September alone. What sort of patriotism attacks British officers, obstructs British paramedics, damages coastguard vehicles and intimidates RNLI volunteers?
“Wrapping yourself in a flag does not make your actions patriotic. Real public service is someone putting on a uniform, answering an emergency call and helping someone they have never met.”
Ms Martin stressed that her comments were not intended to infringe on anyone’s right to protest. She said: “Many people who attended these demonstrations were local residents with genuine concerns about immigration, the asylum system and the impact on our communities. People should not be made to feel that expressing concerns about immigration makes them extremist or less entitled to have a voice.
“I understand the anger many constituents feel about illegal immigration, and I share their determination to stop dangerous small boat crossings. But there is an unmistakable line between peaceful protest and criminal disorder.”
She said that Daniel Thomas - known online as Danny Tommo - and his network of far-right activists, Patriot Platform, attend the protests “to exploit local concerns, stir up division and contribute to disorder and hate”.
“Such people are creating a protest tourism industry, bringing chaos to communities and seeking to profit from public anger,” she said. “We should never allow those who exploit legitimate public anxieties to claim that they speak for everyone who attends a peaceful demonstration.”
She also expressed her concerns that elected local politicians helped to “amplify” misinformation and hostility.
“Councillors both locally and nationally amplified information by livestreaming and sharing videos, and by ignoring hostile comments on their social media posts, while emergency services were carrying out their duties,” she said.
“Elected officials and politicians carry responsibilities that should never be used to legitimise intimidation or encourage hatred. We have come a very long way from clapping our emergency workers during covid to the state that we are in now.”