This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Such was the official fuss after “yellow vest” protesters harassed and verbally abused Anna Soubry outside parliament, that a day later the few activists who had turned up again were being so low key they had not even donned their trademark garments.

“They’re in that bag,” said one man, who like all those present declined to be identified. “We’ll put them on when there’s more of us. The police are after all of us, so we’ve got to be careful.”

With police having promised to respond to any future incidents, six police vans were parked opposite parliament and officers greatly outnumbered the men, some of whom identified themselves instead with union flag bobble hats.

Bercow urges Met chief to take action against protesters abusing MPs Read more

The outcry has followed weeks of intermittent action by a small, varying and semi-organised group, primarily men, who have borrowed the outfit and the tactics of France’s much larger gilets jaunes movement to barrack MPs and journalists seen as opposing Brexit.

In recent weeks they have also blocked Westminster Bridge, shouted sometimes sexist and racist abuse at TV crews, stormed into the offices of a radio station and the Labour party, and held small demonstrations in a series of cities.

The most visible figure throughout has been James Goddard, a self-styled “political activist” with close links to the far right and a background in making anti-Muslim comments, who solicits public donations to continue his activities.

Goddard, who filmed an earlier targeting of Soubry in December in which he and a group of men called the Conservative MP a traitor and “on the side of Adolf Hitler”, has routinely promoted himself by live-streaming his confrontations on Facebook.

However, both of his Facebook pages disappeared on Tuesday – Goddard tweeted that the company had “silenced” him – and a link to his PayPal donations page also stopped working. He did not appear outside parliament and one of his fellow protesters said Goddard feared being arrested.

The man said of Goddard: “He turned up about nine months ago. He’s a new kid in town, a normal, working-class boy. Passionate. They claim he’s our leader. But he’s not our leader. There’s no leader.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest James Goddard pictured at a central London protest on 5 January. Photograph: Matthew Chattle/Rex/Shutterstock

According to the men, Goddard started his protests, like several other “yellow vest” members, in response to a conspiracy theory popular with anti-Muslim activists, connected to a case in which three teenage boys were killed by a driver in west London.

The driver, Jaynesh Chudasama, was found to have been speeding, drunk, and under the influence of cannabis when he ran the boys over in January last year, and was jailed for 13 years.

However, Goddard and other activists have claimed, without evidence, that the deaths were a terrorist attack covered up by police. He was among a group who disrupted a court hearing in the case in December.

Much like their French counterparts, the UK yellow vest group are somewhat opaque about their aims beyond securing Brexit. “I’ve never been a member of any political party. It’s about justice,” one said.

Another said he was uncomfortable about the incident on Monday in which Soubry was shouted at and abused as she walked back to parliament after a TV interview nearby.

MPs raise safety fears with police after Anna Soubry subjected to 'Nazi’ chants Read more

“It was a bit over the top, if you ask me,” the man said. “All her ‘I was being prevented from entering parliament’ isn’t true. But if I was her I wouldn’t be happy with that sort of treatment. She was treated very harshly.”

On Tuesday evening, police on the parliamentary estate arrested a man as he tried to gain entry to the Palace of Westminster via Carriage Gates.

Scotland Yard was not treating the incident, which happened at about 7.20pm, as terror-related. The man, who has not been named, was taken to a police station.

Play Video 1:36 'Nazi', 'fascist': Pro-Brexit group targets MP and journalist outside parliament – video report

The group Hope Not Hate, which monitors far-right activity, has alleged that the UK yellow vest protesters are linked to a new far-right group called the Liberty Defenders, which is supported by Nick Griffin, the former leader of the British National party.

Hope Not Hate said activists were planning protests this weekend in Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, and were thinking about targeting the offices of remain-voting Labour MPs.

Nick Lowles, the head of Hope Not Hate, said that amid the Brexit process, “the threat from the far right is growing and the risk of disorder and violence is on the rise”.

He said: “The British far right are attempting to copy the French ‘yellow vests’ protests in order to stir up trouble and harass, threaten and attack their political opponents.”

While the protesters insist they were not linked to such views, Goddard in particular has been associated with the anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and shares similar views. Last year he spoke at a rally calling for the then-jailed Robinson to be freed from a prison sentence for contempt of court.

Last June Goddard shared a picture on Twitter of himself posing with the leader of Ukip, Gerard Batten, who in November appointed Robinson as an adviser.

James Goddard (@JGoddard230616) A pleasure meeting you @GerardBattenMEP #FreeTommy pic.twitter.com/HqtZPyiRAB

Goddard has posted anti-Muslim messages on the social media site Gab, which is popular with far-right users. In one message he said: “Wherever Islam exists you will find murder and rape.”

In a video posted last year by Goddard he filmed himself castigating a young woman taking part in a pro-Palestine demonstration. When told to go away, he responded: “Educate yourself, love. I bet you’re a feminist as well, aren’t you? Sort yourself out, you mug.”