Suspected fraudster Ryan Bridge has teamed up with Daniel Thomas, once handed a two-year sentence for his role in an attempted kidnap
Ryan Bridge, left, and Daniel Thomas, right, boast online about their sabotage exploits in France.
A flag campaign chief has been taking vigilante action against migrants with a far-right Tommy Robinson ally jailed for attempted kidnap.
Raise the Colours’ Ryan Bridge and Daniel Thomas boast online about their sabotage exploits against small boat crossings. Thomas, who has been described as Robinson’s right-hand man, was once jailed for two years for a botched kidnap effort.
Earlier this month, Bridge and Thomas told how they found a boat on the French coast — with footage showing them damaging its engine. And only on Friday, the duo appeared back in France again.
On Raise the Colours’ X account, the group claimed to have destroyed “another migrant boat”. A post crowed: “We don’t just say ‘Stop The Boats’ we STOP The Boats!”
In an image posted on Thomas’ social media, he stands with Bridge next to the apparent remnants of a boat. READ MORE: Flag campaign chief praised by Tommy Robinson facing jail over ‘holiday sickness scam’
The group also posted a picture of Bridge and Thomas proudly holding flags, standing next to the apparent remnants of a boat. In a further clip posted on the group’s Facebook page, the pair also posed with flags next to the boat in a video set to Rule, Britannia” music. The group labelled its efforts “Operation Overlord”, in a nod to the Allies’ World War Two campaign. The post bragged: “One Migrant Boat Has Been Destroyed”.
Thomas – who goes by the name Danny Tommo – was handed a two-year sentence in 2016 for an attempted kidnap after targeting the wrong man. He and two others arrived at the victim’s home in Hampshire armed with knives. Portsmouth Crown Court heard how they punched him, pinned him against a wall, grabbed and pulled his T-shirt, trying to force him from his home. But their victim resisted, clinging to the door frame. The bungling perpetrators fled in a car, shouting: “We’ll be back.” However, realising they had got the wrong person, one of the trio later sent the victim a Facebook message apologising.
Meanwhile, Thomas was said to have made inflammatory comments online in the wake of last year’s attack on a children’s dance class in Southport. Hope Not Hate (HNH) says on its website: “Daniel Thomas (AKA Danny Tommo), Tommy Robinson’s associate… shared a video in the hours after the Southport attack claiming that ‘we need to do something very extreme’ and ‘every city needs to go up’. Two days later, Thomas would lead a demonstration at Whitehall at which more than 100 people would be arrested.”
Hope Not Hate says Thomas ‘shared a video in the hours after the Southport attack claiming that “we need to do something very extreme”‘.
Last weekend, we told how Bridge faces jail for his role in an alleged holiday sickness scam. The 44-year-old is being pursued in Spain over claims of fraud and membership of a criminal group. Two hotel groups want Bridge jailed for eight years if convicted at trial.
Raise the Colours’ website, which claims to have raised nearly £100,000, says what “started as a few flags… has grown into a campaign to cover Britain in symbols of unity and patriotism”. But concern has been raised that flags are, in fact, being hijacked as a symbol of prejudice rather than pride.
After we approached Bridge for comment on our story published last weekend, he ranted in social media videos. Appearing topless in bed, tattooed Bridge called on followers to “expose” our reporter. “Do everything you can, try and get this guy to just f***ing leave me alone,” he urged them. In the 10-minute clip, in which Bridge suggested he had a history of violence, he added: “Let’s do some dirt on Simon Murphy.” In another video, he branded our reporter a “traitor” – telling supporters to “go for him”.
Appearing topless in bed, tattooed Bridge called on followers to ‘expose’ our reporter.
In a message on its website, Raise the Colours claims to be a “lawful, civic movement”, adding: “We want to make it absolutely clear that we do not encourage, endorse or support anyone travelling to France, approaching migrant vessels, or attempting to intervene in crossings. RTC does not support vigilante behaviour, unauthorised activity, or attempts by individuals to take the law into their own hands. Any individual choosing to travel abroad or take physical action does so entirely on their own initiative and without our support, approval or encouragement.”
Dad Thomas claimed in 2019 he had turned his life around, saying: “When I went to prison I was away from my children. I took what I was given, I accepted what I did was wrong. I came out and all I did was make sure I bettered myself, I go to church every week.” Bridge has alluded to his own criminal past in a YouTube interview with Liam Gillett, AKA Liam Tuffs, who HNH has described as Robinson’s “close ally”.
During the chat, Birmingham City fan Bridge – who has also appeared on GB News – said: “Yeah, and I did go down the football and 20-odd years ago … have a scrap.” He added: “But, is that a bad thing? I’m not doing anything illegal, in my eyes. I’ve had a scrap at the football, which is wrong. You shouldn’t fight in a public place. But… it’s 20 years ago. I’m not hurting anyone, I’m a law abiding citizen.”
He later added: “What lads haven’t had a fight? And what lads haven’t got drunk and disorderly? We’re normal people. Let’s not pretend we’re this lefty, woke brigade…” In his rant against our reporter, Bridge also suggested he had a violent past. “Guess what, I’ve been done for drunk and disorderly. I’ve been done for… going down the football and, perhaps, having a bit of a fisticuffs,” he said.