There was little wind and no waves. For several hours on Friday, December 5, conditions along the northern coast of France were favorable for attempts to cross the Channel in inflatable boats. In migrant camps, hope of reaching England reemerged after three weeks of poor weather. On the beaches of Gravelines, one of many departure points for such journeys, police patrols, journalists and outreach volunteers from the humanitarian group Utopia 56 could be seen. More unexpectedly, there were also three British far-right activists present, hoping to “stop the boats.”

That has been their stated goal for about a month, judging by the many videos posted on social media, which show them patrolling the French coast like vigilantes. In the videos, they hide in the dunes at night to observe police patrols, pose in front of inflatable boats they claim to have seized, and drive around migrant camps, sometimes confronting migrants to confiscate a life jacket, for example.

These staged scenes may seem ridiculous, but they serve as a vehicle for their authors’ xenophobic rants. Among the members of these incursions into France are Ryan Bridge and Elliott Stanley. They are active in the “patriotic” Raise the Colours movement, which emerged in England in the summer of 2025 in the wake of anti-migrant riots and is known for hanging English and British flags across the country. Jason Marriner, notorious for his violent hooligan past, has also taken part in actions in France, as has Daniel “Danny” Thomas on Friday. Thomas, a close associate of far-right influencer Tommy Robinson, describes himself on Facebook as a “father,” “entrepreneur” and “warrior of faith.”

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