Last weekend, Patriot Platform leader Daniel Thomas AKA Danny Tommo visited the tiny Oxfordshire village of Piddington. He is one of a plethora of far-right actors, including Restore Britain’s Rupert Lowe and Britain First’s Paul Golding, to have taken interest in local discussion over the plans to convert MOD Bicester into accommodation for people seeking asylum.
The MOD site in Bicester is one of three former army barracks across the UK proposed by the Home Office to become accommodation for people seeking asylum. We have previously reported on far right hijacking of the campaigns to oppose their development, which has come to a head in Piddington – one of four villages surrounding MOD Bicester.
The proposed site in Oxfordshire has prompted opposition from across the political spectrum, with several groups across villages close to Bicester arguing that the area is unsuitable. While some oppose on explicitly anti-migrant grounds, others, including Oxford Stand up to Racism, argue that the site does not have the necessary infrastructure to properly support those seeking asylum. They have run a campaign under the slogan “Communities not Camps”, citing the site’s lack of amenities and poor living standards.
In the early stages of discussions about the site heating up, on 9 September 133 Piddington women signed an open letter, accompanied by a video, in opposition to the proposed accommodation site. The letter, signed by ‘Women of Piddington,’ asked female MPs to address their concerns about safety and security in the face of the site, flagging concerns about the surrounding area’s small population and about women being “outnumbered”.
Despite the diversity of perspectives, far-right actors have dominated the debate – particularly in Piddington – with the result that much of the rhetoric used by local residents has also become more extreme.
Over recent weeks, far-right voices have come to dominate the conversation. Our previous work showed that Adam Worley, a member of the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative, had been seen filming content at local protests against the site. Other far-right actors spotted at MOD Bicester include auditors Ryan Brook and Paul Dunbar, as well as Britain First leader Paul Golding.
Since then, more far-right actors have taken an interest in conversations around MOD Bicester, with some gathering support amongst a handful of locals. Most notable is Daniel Thomas’ Patriot Platform (PP). PP is a network of anti-migrant groups across the country, united under Thomas’ leadership, whose balaclava-clad mobilisations in Dover and Portsmouth recently hit headlines.
Thomas’ visit followed a promise he’s made repeatedly in the past weeks: if the locals of Piddington agreed, “5-10,000” members of the Patriot Platform team would descend on the area to help them fight back against the proposal. While he made his recent visit alone, a handful of locals have claimed they would permit the rest of Patriot Platform to visit, so long as their activity stays lawful.
Head of Piddington Parish Council Tim McNally, an independent councillor who also runs an X account titled ‘Piddington Roars,’ organised a symbolic referendum to leave the UK as a display of opposition. On 15 September, 312 residents voted, 285 of whom were in favour of parting ways with the UK and creating the “Principality of Piddington”.
On the same day, McNally welcomed Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe to Piddington to discuss the proposed site. Lowe took the opportunity to promote the party’s new report on mass deportations.
Other far-right actors have weighed in on the issue, attempting to force the debate into increasingly extreme territory. Locan Barker AKA Angloid, a young ethnonationalist argued that “It can’t be – ‘No third worlders in Piddington’. It must be ‘No third worlders in Britain.’” Hugh Anthony, another ethnonationalist activist, said that “in Piddington, they are not ready to understand the issues we face”, and thus “we have to radicalise the countryside”.
The organised far right have even gone so far as to criticise the residents of Piddington for not opposing the development for the ‘right’ reasons. In response to the video produced by female residents, ethnonationalist and ex-Britain First leader Ashlea Simon claimed that “The women of Piddington don’t want the migrants deported, they just want them away from Piddington.” She argued that “it’s time left wing voters receive the mess they voted for,”in reference to the area having voted in an MP from the Liberal Democrats at the 2024 General Election.
While the far right claim to be supporting local people, they only seem to be interested in the concerns of those whose opinions can be used to prop up their own racist ideas.
In a recent case, one Piddington local spoke to BBC Newsnight about her concerns about far-right involvement in the conversation, and condemned the xenophobia and racism which had dominated many narratives. The resident was subject to an onslaught of online abuse, including from Reform Councillor George Madgwick.
Within days, former Restore spokeswoman Orla Minnihane was outside her front door with a film crew, attempting to interrogate the resident on behalf of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon’s media platform, Urban Scoop.
As the organised far right continues to set its sights on MOD Bicester, the voices of locals in the debate become harder to hear. As we’ve seen, local residents from across the political spectrum have a range of views about the proposed site. However, the presence of far-right actors like Daniel Thomas and Rupert Lowe seems sure to overshadow the debate, and drown out the voices of actual local residents. This is particularly potent when far right actors claim that Piddington residents must devote themselves to extreme far right rhetoric in order to authentically oppose the site, positioning remigration and mass deportations as the only solution.
Prefer to listen? Click the play button to hear the audio version. Harry Shukman Reform UK is staffed by oddballs and enigmas, but none odder…
