The footage, posted on YouTube, captures the 37‑year‑old Tommo slashing the hull of a small boat that had been used by people smugglers to transport migrants across the English Channel. A rescue crew member had boarded the vessel in an attempt to return it to France when TomTom shouted the insult before stabbing the side of the craft.
Hampshire Police confirmed they are “conducting inquiries” into the incident and have identified Tommo as the individual in the video. The police statement did not disclose whether any charges have been filed against him at this stage.
In the same area, six anti‑migrant protesters were arrested after gathering at Haslar Marina in Gosport under the mistaken belief that a migrant dinghy was due to arrive there on Tuesday. The group, some wearing black clothing and face coverings, chanted “send them back” before police closed off the access road and detained them.
Four of those arrested – two men aged 33 and 67 and two women aged 31 and 32 – are being held on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, with the 67‑year‑old also facing a charge of careless driving. Two men from Salisbury, aged 19 and 36, were detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The migrant vessel in question actually left the Normandy coast on Monday, was shadowed by a French coastguard ship and, after refusing assistance, spent 33 hours at sea before docking in Dover at about 12.30 am on Wednesday. Fifty‑one migrants were transferred to the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency and then to Border Security Command for processing.
Local MP Dame Caroline Dinenage had been warned by the Home Office that a small‑boat arrival was “increasingly likely” to be disembarked locally, but the boat headed east instead of Gosport. The incident has reignited debate over the changing routes used by smugglers and the capacity of UK authorities to intercept arrivals further west along the coast.
The Home Office and the Border Security Command reiterated that they continue to detain, check and process every small‑boat arrival, while a government spokesperson emphasized the agency’s round‑the‑clock operations. The latest wave of arrivals this year totals 17,480 migrants, a 46 % drop from the same point last year, according to official figures.