Right-wing activist Montgomery Toms has been mocked after being asked a simple question during one of his street debates: what have you actually done for your country?
Toms, the founder of Freedom Watch GB and a figure closely associated with Restore Britain, has built a following through confrontational political videos focused on free speech, nationalism and opposition to what he sees as Britain’s political establishment.
But during one exchange, a member of the public turned the argument back on him.
“What have you done for your country?” he asked.
Toms initially appeared taken aback.
“What have I done for my country? Well, that’s quite the question,” he replied.
He then said:
“I try to be quite humble, but when the Covid lockdowns hit, when I was 14, I was very against lockdown.
“I was very against the masks and the mandates.
“So the first thing I did for my country is I started campaigning from the age of about 16, 15, 16.”
That answer did not impress the man questioning him.
“So you were only making noise and not doing anything for the public, the actual general public,” he replied.
He then asked whether Toms had ever taken up “proper work which benefited the public rather than making noise around”.
‘Everyone works full-time’
Toms attempted to answer by pointing out that he was still a teenager when he began campaigning.
“At that point, I was 16,” he said.
“What I did was I worked a full-time job. I was also in full-time education.”
Again, the response came quickly.
“Everyone works full-time. That’s not a case,” the man said.
Toms then complained that he was being interrupted:
“Are you going to let me answer or are you going to cut me off?”
The man replied that ordinary people working, paying taxes and contributing to society was not in itself some exceptional act of public service.
“People all over, they work full-time. They pay their taxes. They’re part of the society,” he said.
“That’s not a problem. You’re one of them.”
The exchange then became a fairly direct clash over what counts as contributing to a country.
Toms argued that his political campaigning itself amounted to service.
“I have encouraged thousands upon thousands upon thousands of young people to stand up within private institutions and state education, etc, within their job and university and say, no more,” he said.
“I will stand here with my freedom of speech, with my sovereignty and as an Englishman.”
The question that caused the problem
The clip spread because Toms’ first instinctive answer was not that he had worked in public service, volunteered in his community, joined the armed forces, cared for people, created jobs or done anything similar.
It was that he had opposed Covid restrictions as a teenager.
That does not mean political campaigning cannot be a form of public contribution. Activists across the political spectrum would argue that trying to change laws, influence public debate or organise people around a cause is itself part of democratic life.
But the man challenging Toms was making a different point.
If someone’s politics is heavily based around patriotism, national decline and demands that other people demonstrate loyalty to the country, it is reasonable to ask what practical contribution they themselves have made beyond expressing political opinions.
Toms’ answer gave his critics plenty to work with.
Toms has built a profile through confrontational activism
Toms has become increasingly visible in Britain’s online right.
He founded Freedom Watch GB and regularly produces videos centred on street debates, free speech and English national identity.
His style has drawn comparisons with the confrontational campus and street debating format popularised by American conservative activists.
He is closely associated with Restore Britain, the right-wing movement that has attempted to build support outside Reform UK and the Conservative Party.
Toms has also been a vocal opponent of Covid lockdowns and vaccine mandates, which helps explain why he reached for that period when asked to identify what he had done for the country.
But the questioner was not asking when Toms first became politically active.
He was asking what he had actually done that benefited other people.
That distinction became the entire point of the exchange.
‘I did f*** all but make noise’
The clip was subsequently shared widely on social media, where Toms’ answer attracted considerable mockery.
@Fish_Flakes546 wrote:
“‘I was against doing simple stuff to keep people safe cus wahhh’
“Is basically what I heard 🤷♂️”
@Bloomgabs said:
“When the lockdown happened he decided to throw a strop? Is that it? My teenager complied with the rules and therefore contributed to helping to protect the older generation… it sucked for everyone but decent people understood that masks & lockdown were necessary 🤷♀️”
@support407 put it rather more bluntly:
“’I did fuck all but make noise’ 😂😂😂”
@robin_fort62456 wrote:
“He claims that he is humble???
“He obviously lacks self awareness.”
@Stay_AwayJ898 added:
“So basically his whole achievement is stirring shit up and creating noise about it.”
And @AdeshaF said:
“Love the guy in the glasses! So to translate the hesitations & gibberish the far-right guy hasn’t done a thing for his country 🙈😂”
Perhaps the most pointed response came from @LFCx97:
“that’s all it takes to rattle these guys lol ask them how do they personally benefit the country and make it better or ask them what have they done personally for the country to make it better, and they’ll crumble every time”
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