Two content creators were involved in an altercation with UAL students and the police over an attempt to debate immigration.
An attempt by a social media content creator to debate UAL students over immigration ended with protests by students and the arrest of a cameraman.
Montgomery Toms, a former UAL student and online activist, set up a table with the sign “Britain Needs Mass Deportation, Change My Mind” outside the London College of Communication (LCC) on January 28th.
Toms claimed that his intention was to create an open dialogue, arguing that immigration is an issue regularly discussed by political parties in the country and is therefore not a fringe topic.
Many students considered this a direct provocation, calling the action “rage bait.” Tensions rose quickly, as students began shouting the occasional verbal insult and hailing him as the “British Charlie Kirk.”
I witnessed the event first hand, and was the only one able to debate Toms, before events escalated.
As I discussed a comparison drawn by him between England and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, my home country, another UAL student approached Toms from behind and flipped over the table, interrupting our peaceful debate.
This led to a physical altercation between the student and Will Coleshill, Toms’ cameraman. The commotion quickly attracted the attention of more students, as well as LCC staff and security, some filming the fight and some attempting to intervene.
Coleshill and the student eventually ended up fighting on the floor, with the student losing his shoe and the cameraman having a drink thrown in his face by another student.
Eventually, the two were separated, and the students were herded inside by staff, as a number of police officers, who had been called by Toms, arrived at the scene.
As the pair spoke to the police, the interaction with them also escalated, and the officers moved to detain Coleshill and place him under arrest. Eventually, he was carried to a police van, amid loud cheering from UAL students who had made it back outside to watch.
Following the incident, the university issued an official statement claiming “UAL is committed to upholding freedom of expression within the law and ensuring the safety of our students and staff,” while offering mental health services and counselling to those who may have been disturbed by the incident.
Montgomery Toms routinely creates content of a similar nature, setting up so-called ‘debate tables’ around the country, and appearing in public places to discuss his controversial opinions.
In 2025, he was arrested by 11 armed police officers for wearing a sign that read “{trans flag} = mental illness” while watching a Pride parade in central London.
This sparked debate over freedom of speech and two-tier policing, with a debate in the House of Lords, and Douglas Murray dedicating an article in The Spectator to the arrest, outlining what he considered to be the double standards held by the Metropolitan Police regarding whose freedom of expression is tolerated, and whose is punished.
The incident outside LCC also raises questions about freedom of expression, as the student flipping over the table was hailed a hero by many, while Toms, according to some of those present, “was supposed to be the one arrested.”,
As Coleshill was being carried into the police van, Toms exclaimed to the police: “Is being offensive a crime?” and received a “Yes” in response from one of the officers.
Will Coleshill was later released from custody, but has been charged with assault and obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty.
All images by Masha Gaysynska