UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has strongly criticized anti-asylum activist Daniel Thomas, calling him a "far-right and outright racist" who could face legal consequences if his group committed crimes near asylum centers. In an interview with the Guardian, Mahmood addressed concerns in Piddington, an Oxfordshire village, where asylum seekers are set to be relocated to a former defense site. She assured residents that the newcomers would be housed in "self-contained facilities," which she said would not strain local resources. Her remarks followed Thomas, a convicted criminal and co-founder of the Patriot Platform, who claimed he could mobilize thousands of supporters to block the relocation of male asylum seekers in the village. Mahmood emphasized the importance of distinguishing between genuine community concerns and far-right extremism. While she acknowledged the anxiety felt by residents facing changes to their community, she condemned those who use such issues to divide people. Thomas had visited Piddington the day after a symbolic vote in which locals overwhelmingly chose to leave the UK and seek self-determination. The campaign, which has drawn interest from hundreds of other towns and villages, was supported by several political parties, including the Conservatives, Reform UK, and the Liberal Democrats. During his visit to Piddington, Thomas was not accompanied by masked individuals and was given a private tour of the village by a resident. The village’s parish councillor, Joe Marshall, noted that many residents were unsure about accepting help from masked groups and described the village as "mild-mannered." Thomas briefly toured the village hall and the entrance to the Ministry of Justice camp where asylum seekers will be housed. In an interview, Thomas said he had spoken with three residents, describing them as "normal mothers, normal grandmothers, normal men." He claimed his goal was to develop a "legal, lawful plan" to support the community. Mahmood cited experiences from other asylum sites, such as Wethersfield and Crowborough, to argue that housing asylum seekers in self-contained facilities reduced the burden on local communities. She noted that concerns about asylum seekers were not limited to rural areas, as similar anxieties existed in inner-city areas like her Birmingham constituency. In response to recent disruptions, Mahmood has worked with police chiefs to enhance intelligence gathering and has used new laws to impose a blanket ban on face coverings at designated locations. This followed protests in Dover and Portsmouth, where masked supporters blocked roads and tried to stop asylum seekers from entering the country. Thomas, a former bodyguard for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (also known as Tommy Robinson), founded his anti-immigration group after serving time for attempted kidnapping. In an interview with Robinson, Thomas suggested a plan involving 5,000 men surrounding the Piddington camp to prevent asylum seekers from entering. He denied being racist and claimed his organization welcomed people of other nationalities. Meanwhile, Mahmood launched an anti-knife crime program, allocating £26.25m to 230 areas in England and Wales affected by knife violence. The initiative includes police patrols, CCTV, and early intervention efforts targeting young people at risk. The program was announced at a boxing gym in south Birmingham, where Mahmood was joined by campaigners who had lost loved ones to knife crime.