Masked protesters block Port of Dover

You know exactly what I meant for Sue!!!! Greyfur

I saw a post by Billy Bragg on Facebook, which for me sums up very well what there is to be concerned about. Apologies, it’s quite long, but a worthwhile read.

‘The disturbing actions of several hundred black-clad men on the streets of Dover last weekend has provoked comparisons to the fascist blackshirts who marched behind Oswald Mosely in the 1930s. Although there were no reported cases of violence, the intimidatory nature of the road blocks created by the men was palpable in footage filmed by those who encountered them.

The aim of the demonstration was to protest against the continued arrival of people seeking refugee status in the UK on small boats across the Channel. This wasn’t articulated in the usual manner, by a rally with speakers and placards. In fact, other than a couple of chants of “Stop the Boats” and “Whose Streets? Our Streets”, the blackshirts said nothing to anyone, relying on an air of menace to get their message across.

This surly silence is a familiar tactic by those promoting the politics of grievance. Last year, when union jack and St George’s flags began appearing on lampposts, the organisers of the campaign maintained their anonymity, claiming to be motivated by nothing other than national pride. Last week we got an insight into the real motivation behind the campaign when the leader of the main group responsible for raising these flags across England was charged with 14 offences, including racially aggravated harassment, threatening behaviour and assault.

Daniel Thomas, who organised the Dover demonstration, was similarly reticent about his motivations when approached by the press. Comments he later made when confronting Zia Yusuf, the Reform home affairs spokesperson, shine some light on why he might prefer to keep quiet. “What do you expect the men of this country to do when they see violence against women, sexual assaults” he demanded “What would you do as a man … just wait?”

That concern for the wellbeing of women and girls might carry more weight were it not for the fact that those arrested at anti-immigrant demonstrations are often known to the police as domestic abusers. After the 2024 Southport riots, it later transpired that 41% of the nearly 900 arrested had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence; one police force had that figure as high as 68%.

Is it any wonder the blackshirts in Dover hid their faces?

This kind of paramilitary show of force is genuinely disturbing and needs to be challenged by both Westminster and civil society. The facts are that the number of people arriving by small boats has fallen sharply over the summer, dropping 50% in June, 64% in July, and 46% in August compared to last year, but facts are no longer enough for our cynical times.

On Newsnight yesterday evening, a retired docker from Portsmouth named Les, who spoke in support of the blockading of ports, refused to accept that numbers seeking asylum were falling, that action being taken was having an effect nor that politicians were addressing this issue. Instead he claimed that the government were deliberately bringing asylum seekers into the UK. “I just can’t get my head around why they’re doing it” he said with bafflement, which is understandable, given that small boats have caused so much grief for both Tory and Labour governments that the notion they’re doing it on purpose is utterly ridiculous.

Cut to the studio panel where the Conservative MP Mims Davies asserted that the solution to the small boats crossing the Channel was for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. This is the same argument that convinced people opposed to immigration to vote for Brexit: "this one simple fix will stop immigrants coming to the UK". What happened after we left the EU? Immigration went up not down and leaving the ECHR would likely have a similar effect.

Worse, it would put British citizens outside of the protection of the convention. We lost hard earned rights when we left the EU, one of which was the ability to return those entering the UK illegally back to the EU country they had left. We would lose further rights by leaving the ECHR. Our membership has made it illegal for police to indefinitely retain mass DNA and fingerprint databases. It has limited arbitrary stop and search conducted without reasonable suspicion of criminality and restricted the roll out mass surveillance by establishing stronger protections for privacy.

How many individual rights are anti-immigrant voters willing to give away in order to see immigration curbed? One of the big pull factors for Channel crossings is the fact that it is possible to work in the UK without having identity papers. In much of Europe this is not possible. Is Les the retired docker so concerned about small boats that he is willing to carry an national identity card? Does he have no fear that the politicians he is so wary of might use the card to limit his freedom or that of his family?

It’s a slippery slope. Because they are recognised as being universal, the human rights claimed by those seeking asylum in the UK are the same ones that protect us. If we allow governments to restrict our freedoms to those who are citizens of the state, how long before they make them contingent on being loyal to that state?’

Thanks for posting that Casdon it may be too long a read for some to bother with but it is full of truth and reason. Quite unlike the one liner rage bait that is not!

Thanks Casdon. Unfortunately, reasoned information is easily rejected by people who favour outrage over reality

I am not defending the actions of the masked protesters on Saturday nor the impromptu protest (which was not peaceful) on Sunday.

I am not in favour of leaving the ECHR, I do think it needs tweaking as the world is a different place since its inception in 1949.

The U.K. did not adopt the ECHR into domestic law until 2nd October 2020, we managed 59 years without it being on our statute books.

There is a problem regarding the assimilation of these young men into U.K. society as the Government has issued a leaflet given to asylum seekers regarding appropriate sexual behaviour.

I hope the photo is clear, if not it is easily found on line.

Or by those who believe that progressive men such as Bragg have done unspeakable damage to womens rights. What a choice that misogynist or the right.

Galaxy 👍

Galaxy

Or by those who believe that progressive men such as Bragg have done unspeakable damage to womens rights. What a choice that misogynist or the right.

That’s a really weird comment, why on earth would anybody have to make a choice like that? Just because you don’t agree with somebody on one issue doesn’t mean you should dismiss everything they say.

I don't agree with Bragg's position on trans women but I do agree with him on other things. Actually I find this true of most people I know, I am rarely in complete agreement on every topic with friends and relatives. I've been happily married for 36 years, do I agree with OH on every political or societal issue? Absolutely not, what on earth would we find to talk about if we did?

Attacks on RNLI volunteers must not be tolerated. The police need to get better intelligence of far right thugs' gatherings.

I rarely totally agree with close friends, family, political spokespeople and more. I was very happpily with mr I for over forty years. Our basic beliefs were very similar and we enjoyed interesting discussions, especially if we took a different view.

I ‘m a a Terf fwiw

So history repeats itself

The great depression
Rise of Hitler
Rise of Oswald Mosley in GB
Black shirts encouraged

Depression
D Trump- Putin
N FArage- known liar and inciter of all things bad racism etc etc
Black shirts at Dover

Because it is hypocritical for him to start worrying about women's rights when he has cheered on an aggressive group which threatens womens rights.
He is like a lot of progressive men who think they are the good guys but are in fact just misogynists of a different flavour.

I expect he is like everybody else Galaxy, with a complex range of values and views. We are all capable of being perfectly rational about some issues but not others.

I wanted to thank you Casdon for the information and analysis above, excellent.

Since there is not a separate thread, I want to raise my shock at the Royal Lifeboat volunteers being abused and threatened.

The sort of person who does this is despicable beyond measure. Ignorant - lifeboats - they are called in by the HM Coastguards.

There is no defence. Only 1.3% of calls on them are for channel boats. 1.3%.

These groups have to be called out, from those who burnt Asian houses in Belfast, whoever was in, to the blackshirts, and especially Danny Thomas who calls people out via social media to borderline riot

Nice man. In 2024 during the southport riots he said, "After the Southport killings in the summer of 2024, Thomas used social media to stoke the wave of racist riots. “Every city has to go up,” he said. “Get prepared. Be ready. We have to. It has to go off in different cities".

He's been building his thugs movement since then and yes is a woman hater.

Daily Mirror

"Once a bodyguard for far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, convicted attempted kidnapper Danny "Tommo" Thomas is the founder and leader of Patriot Platform."

"But just how did a privately-educated schoolboy, whose late father was reportedly a university-educated skiing enthusiast who retired to Brittany, become the new poster boy for the Stop The Boats movement"

"Thomas, a 37-year-old dad-of-four, served as a tank driver with the King’s Royal Hussars, but his Army career was cut short and he was discharged on medical grounds before seeing active service. In 2016, he was jailed for his part in the attempted armed kidnapping of a man on Hayling Island, Hampshire"

"The kidnap plot was described as "cowardly" and "extraordinarily frightening" by a judge, who heard how Thomas and two others swooped on a house armed with knives, while wrongly accusing their victim of stealing £10,000 worth of drugs from them. Portsmouth crown court heard they punched their victim, pinned him against a wall and grabbed and pulled his T-shirt, trying to force him from his home.

At the time, prosecutor Robert Griffiths told the court: "They were all saying 'you're coming with us'. It seems they got completely the wrong person." After being sentenced to two years in jail, the dad-of-four became a born-again Christian behind bars and reportedly attended church every week following his release"

"Thomas, who has worked as a bricklayer and ran his own web design firm, reportedly said: “Move away from Tommy (Robinson), which at this point I believe is the right choice. That’s no disrespect to him, I love him to bits, but he’s not right for this.” In another message, he reportedly added: "I’ve told him straight, ‘you’re a liability, I wanna do it properly'. You don’t think I would say that to him?”

In separate messages, Thomas allegedly said: “I’m about to walk into the gym, smashing it. I’ve taken my roids, I’ve taken my proteins, and I’m f**** ready to go.” In others he reportedly added: “I’m mad man, I’m a f**** loose cannon you silly c***. I run into groups of Muslims and f**** go for it. Do you think I give a f***? Because I don’t.” It does not f**** work with someone who is mentally unstable and doesn’t give a f***… You can tell how f**** unhinged I am right now. Are you going to come knock at my door? While my kids sleep?… Have I got to sleep with a knife under my pillow now? Stab you in the f**** eye?".

"Thomas set up Patriot Platform in June, vowing to “reclaim our borders, restore order and send a clear message: Britain belongs to the British”. He describes it as a “growing Christian patriotic army” and has claimed more than 40,000 people have signed up. He appears to have recruited a similar demographic of young men to Robinson's English Defence League, known as the EDL, but his troops so far appear to be far more organised and disciplined under Thomas' military-style leadership.

Thomas has said he wants “discipline” over “the drinkers” and “the violence” and has claimed to have “handpicked” his group of activists for “quality over quantity”, according to the campaign group Hope Not Hate, which has been monitoring Patriot Platform."

"But he has not commented on reports of police officers being injured and vehicles damaged at Sunday's protest in Portsmouth, or an investigation by Hope not Hate, which found that among his hand-picked supporters were men with criminal histories, including convictions for violence against women."

I hope this dangerous man is being monitored, indeed I expect it, by Secret Services.

Violent racist thugs! People are supporting these vile opportunists who want to take over the streets. Well I certainly don't want them on my streets.

The vigilante force were out on Tuesday night, aiming their ire at people they thought were migrants in a hotel - but weren’t.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0klnjmgpm6o

I saw that Casdon it was in our local paper, words fail me, or at least those I can use here.