British vigilantes travelled to northern France last week and posted footage of themselves digging up, slashing and disabling a small inflatable boat and outboard engines hidden in sand dunes. They called this “direct action”, part of Operation Stop The Boats, aimed at disrupting Channel crossings by migrants.

The videos, circulated on YouTube and other social platforms, featured Tommy Robinson’s close mate Danny Tommo, along with Ryan Bridge and Elliott Stanley from Raise the Colours, both of whom come from the Midlands.

Last week’s little sortie which ended in the destruction of the inflatable was, according to Tommo, only a recce. They happened upon the boat and took the opportunity to destroy it.

The question is: a recce for what? Well, they appear to have another, bigger action planned for 29 November. One that they have not, as yet, publicised.

Not a protest

For some weeks Tommo has been appealing online for the ‘men of England’ to contact him for actions which are ‘not a protest’ and from which women and children are excluded.

In one post he said: “Okay, no more protests, no more marches, no more stage, no more speakers. We need the English lads to make a point. A point that unfortunately has to be made. I understand that we all need to keep our heads screwed on, but it’s too common now”.

On Monday, in the Wildmoor Oak pub in Bromsgrove, Tommo and his chums talked about organising shifts and rotas of men to travel to France. They talked of raising money so that they could film events with a drone camera.

And they talked of a big, forthcoming action on 29 November.

Knifepoint kidnapping

Of course, it is perfectly possible that what is intended is some perfectly peaceful event to draw attention to what they see as the problem of ‘the migrant invasion’.

But given they appear to be organising it secretly, the authorities would be justified in paying close attention to their activities and, if appropriate, passing information to their French counterparts.

Indeed, it may already be the case that their activities have attracted official attention: when they returned from France last week their car was thoroughly searched by uK Border Force.

All three men have colourful backgrounds. Tommo – real name Daniel Thomas – has a conviction for kidnap at knifepoint in the course of a drug deal which went wrong.

He is most notorious for his online post after the Southport murders last year when he ranted that “Every city must go up”.

In June he was on holiday with Tommy Robinson in Tenerife.

Bridge and Stanley launched Raise the Colours in the Midlands earlier this year.

Bridge is reported to have been behind a number of compensation claims companies and is awaiting trial in Spain for his alleged role in a false holiday sickness compensation claims scam.

Stanley is the former director of Sex Doll Official, a company that sold and rented out (!) sex dolls.