British 'patriots deported' after bringing 'tear gas bombs' to France but being chased off by migrants

A group of British nationals were arrested during a French police operation (Picture: Ioannis Alexopoulos/LNP) A group of British men travelling in a Mad Max-style ‘battle bus’ have been deported from France after confronting migrants in Dunkirk. French police said the five suspects were allegedly found with tear gas bombs as they were arrested. They were banned from northern France for six months and ordered to pay €500 each to a migrant aid organisation.

Their van – called the Battle Bus – has a roll cage added to reinforce windows. On the ferry over the Channel one of them can be heard saying: ‘It’s like Mad Max – belting’. One of the group identified as Anthony Barnes filmed himself threatening a group of dozen migrants waiting at a port. He said: ‘I’ll fold you clean in half, geez. And kick you in that river. Yeh put that life jacket on cos you will need it.’ Reacting, the group of young men stand up, with one appearing to throw a stone at him as he ran away.

He was then arrested by French police. Anthony Barnes is detained by French Police (Picture: Ioannis Alexopoulos/LNP) The group were detained over the weekend in a holding centre. They said in an X post: ‘It’s hard to comprehend how exhausting, frightening and overwhelming this must be, particularly when they have had so little time to process everything that has happened.’ They were then deported back to the UK on Sunday. A man carries a young child as people thought to be migrants attempt to board a small boat off the coast of Hardelot, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel. (Picture: Gareth Fuller/Press Association) Regional prosecutors said the group were broadcasting live on social media ‘images intended to illustrate acts of intimidation’ against migrants trying to reach the UK, said regional prosecutors.

Authorities said they were placed in police custody and have been accused of ‘taking part in a group formed with a view to preparing violence against persons and for transporting category D weapons without legitimate reason,’ their statement added. ‘The state does not tolerate such actions conducive to hatred and violence from anyone,’ the prefecture said in its statement. People thought to be migrants board a small boat off the coast of Hardelot, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel (Picture: Gareth Fuller/Press Association) Nearly 1,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK in two days after a three-week pause in arrivals.

Some 671 people in nine boats made the journey to Britain on Friday, when footage captured a man wielding a knife as he threatened migrants before boarding a dinghy. One man was seen moving towards a boat holding a knife while in waist-deep water, and a man aboard the boat tries to hit him with a boot. As the man in the water draws his arm back, he appears to drop the knife into the sea and moments later he boards the UK-bound boat. A call of ‘I will kill you’ was heard as French rescue boats hovered in the background just a short distance away.

Several children were among a large group of people wearing life-jackets who were brought ashore in Dover, Kent, as better weather brought calmer crossing conditions.