Draft:Migrant Hunters in the United Kingdom

“”I’m a reporter from South East Kent covering the stories that the mainstream media manipulate. I show the truth, what’s actually happening, without any fabrications. No fake news here.

—Steve Laws, misrepresenting what he does

UK Migrant Hunters are predominantly far-right anti-migrant activists who hang around migrant entry points and turn up unannounced at migrant accommodation centres and hotels housing migrants to threaten and harass staff, security and the migrants themselves. Some coming from the so-called "auditing" movement pose as citizen journalists, attempt to provoke reactions, and video their encounters for posting online as rage-bait. They also use leafleting, banners and online forums to further encite hatred and mass protest at the site. This agenda setting by post-organisational individuals jumped on by more formal far-right organisations such as Britain First and For Britain was noted by Hope Not Hate as something new.

We're going on a migrant hunt

Over Summer 2020 a number of so-called "citizen journalists", including Alan "Active Patriot UK" Leggett, Neil "The Little Veteran" Marcham, Chris Johnson, Steve Laws and Christopher "Tyrant Finder UK" Batt, living out of their cars or in long-term hostels, filming the beaches of the south coast and chasing down any arriving migrants. These videos from the "front line" went viral on far right social media reinforcing the false narrative of a migrant invasion.

In November 2021, an injunction hearing brought by the Port of Dover at Canterbury Crown Court against Legett, Marcham, Laws and Tracey "XxTWxX" Wiseman banned from entering the Eastern and Western Docks in Dover, with Leggett and Marcham solemnly promising not to intimidate new arrivals.

Many of these "journalist" obtained fake press credentials from the "English Press Association" (not to be confused with the actual Press Association) by paying £120 to the equally fake "The Workers of England Union" affiliated with the "English TUC" (not to be confused with the real Trades Union Congress) formed by far right-wing, anti-immigrant, racists from the English Democrats. Following a High Court injuction the organisational affiliation on the cards was changed to the "English Media Group".

Who let the dogs out?

Alan "Active Patriot UK" Leggett

“”I wasn't derogatory to any immigrants yesterday...

—Alan Leggett

Alan Leggett aka Active Patriot UK is a far-right racist, islamophobe and antisemite who has been described by Tommy Robinson as "our man on the ground". Leggett, originally from Cleethorpes, was radicalised in 2017 following the Manchester Arena bombing and came to prominence live-streaming speeches and making loving montages from the protests outside Robinson’s 2019 Old Bailey trial. By the end of 2020 Leggett had established himself as a Robinson-style “citizen journalist” documenting cross-Channel migration and spearheading an explosion in anti-migrant activism. Following a November 2021 injunction hearing promise not to intimidate new arrivals, Leggett toured seven northern towns streaming reactions to "screenings" on a portable screen in public locations (often outside police stations) of his "documentary" on so-called "Muslim grooming gangs" pushing the "migrants are sexual predators" narrative. In 2022, Leggett teamed up with Amanda Smith (aka Yorkshire Rose) to travel the country filming themselves harassing staff and residents at migrant accommodation, which eventually resulted in them being banned from West Yorkshire. A subsequent legal case related to a video from 2020 resulted in further sanctions including a 10-month suspended custodial sentence with Judge Simon Taylor stating:

What I see is disgraceful conduct, not only racist and misogynistic but also cowardly and it undermines British values and British society, things you claim to hold dear. There is nothing to be proud of in your conduct.

His YouTube channel has also subsequently been taken down.

Nigel "The Little Veteran" Marcham

“”Take a knee for the brethren of this fucking country.

—Nigel Marcham

Nigel Marcham aka Nobby Robinson and The Little Veteran is a disgraced ex-serviceman turned far-right anti-migrant activist described by Hope Not Hate as a "foul-mouthed reprobate". Marcham, originally from Watford, was part of the initial core group of so-called "citizen journalists" filming the beaches of the south coast and in September 2020 organized a protest which closed the Port of Dover. However, following a November 2021 injunction hearing promise not to intimidate new arrivals, Marcham reduced his migrant hunting output and increasingly posted COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories instead.

Tracey "xxTWxx" Wiseman

“”Get your motherfuckers controlled... see this is what’s coming in.

—Tracey Wiseman

Tracey Wiseman aka xxTWxx is a former tattooist and body piercer turned far-right racist, islamophobe and conspiracy theorist. Wiseman and her partner Dave Goldsmith were among the protestors outside Tommy Robinson’s 2019 Old Bailey trial and with the encouragement of Alan Leggett joined the core group of so-called "citizen journalists" chasing down and filming migrants arriving in Dover in 2020. As was pointed out at the November 2021 injunction hearing brought by the Port of Dover at Canterbury Crown Court, Wiseman has shared QAnon, New World Order and Great Replacement conspiracy theories, Islamophobic calls for the banning of Eid, and photos of herself with far riught activists including Tommy Robinson and members of the Proud Boys Britannia. This lead litigators to conclude that:

[She] would lead you to believe she is a neutral reporter - neutral reporters don’t go posing with well-known protesters. Any reporting is just live-streaming for the like-minded.

Nonetheless, Judge Sarah Venn ruled that after signing a promise not to "harass or intimidate" Wiseman would, unlike fellow defendants Leggett and Marcham, be allowed continued access to the docks.

Amanda "Yorkshire Rose" Smith

Amanda Smith aka Yorkshire Rose is a racist conspiracy theorist who describes herself as a “real journalist” while real journalists describe her as Britain's most prolific "migrant hunter".