Operation Overlord: Far-Right Vigilantes Plot to Block Channel Migrants

After visiting Belfast riots, Daniel Thomas – a 37-year-old far-right activist linked to Tommy Robinson – announced “Operation Overlord”, a plan to place up to 50 boats in the English Channel, seize the Port of Dover and mobilise a “patriotic army” of volunteers to stop migrant arrivals.

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Thomas previously co-founded Raise the Colours, which coordinated boat-slashing raids on England-bound migrant vessels last year. French authorities banned Thomas and nine associates after those incidents, and an earlier plan also used the “Operation Overlord” codename.

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Thomas, a Tommy Robinson associate, leads the venture. Raise the Colours member Ryan Bridge tried to travel to Belfast but was stopped at Birmingham Airport. In Belfast, Thomas was escorted by Darren Reid, 46, a violent-crime offender.

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After the Belfast riots, Thomas said the unrest inspired his plan. The next day he posted a video announcing a 50-boat operation and recruitment platform. Within the week he bought a boat with donations and was barred from Dover after filming at the port.

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The Migration Observatory (University of Oxford) reports 36,000 small-boat arrivals up to 31 May 2026, a 13 % decline from the prior year, with none in June. Home Office data show France intercepted 65 % of May crossings, blocking 1,819 people while 2,816 arrived.

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Home Office data show France intercepted about 65 % of migrant boats bound for the UK in the month, blocking 1,819 people. The Migration Observatory noted the 13 % drop in arrivals. Thomas did not respond to comment requests.

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Stephen Ogilvie’s family, whose relative was a Belfast victim, praised migrants’ “deeply valuable contribution” and warned the tragedy should not be used to divide people or fuel hostility. The victim’s family also appealed for calm, saying overnight unrest was not welcome.

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Thomas claimed more than 20,000 people had signed up for his project, but Instagram screenshots show only about 9,000 welcome emails were sent. He did not respond to a request for comment on how the boats would be sourced or crewed.

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• “What I’ve witnessed in Belfast has given me the inspiration to realise that when everyone gets involved who’s committed, a change can be made,” — Daniel Thomas, far-right activist

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• “We are going to produce a patriotic army of thousands and thousands of English and British men that are done with protesting, done with walking down roads, and want to make a difference.” — Daniel Thomas, far-right activist

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• “We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.” — Representative of Stephen Ogilvie’s family

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• “I never threw a stone” — Darren Reid, local escort with prior violent-crime convictions

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