Danny Tommo denies slashing Channel migrant dinghy

British anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, pleaded not guilty on Friday to a criminal damage charge linked to the alleged slashing of a dinghy in the Channel earlier this week.

Prosecutors alleged that Thomas, a 37-year-old roofer, damaged the dinghy with a knife while an emergency responder was on board. He entered the plea at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court in southern England.

Thomas was refused bail and remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Tuesday. Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who is a longtime ally of Thomas, sat in the public gallery during the hearing.

The case follows heightened tensions over small-boat crossings from France. UK police previously said six protesters were arrested after an anti-immigration demonstration in Gosport became hostile towards officers, while a dinghy carrying 51 migrants completed a long Channel crossing and landed in Dover.

The interior ministry said 781 people arrived in Britain on Wednesday after crossing from France in small boats, a daily record for this year. It said 18,565 people had arrived via the route so far this year, down 42 percent year-on-year.

The Labour government says the reduced numbers support its strategy of targeting criminal gangs that facilitate the journeys and working more closely with European neighbours.