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Tommy Robinson, Anti-Muslim Activist, Is Freed on Bail in U.K. Tommy Robinson, Anti-Muslim Activist, Is Freed on Bail in U.K.
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — Tommy Robinson, the jailed British far-right activist who has gained the support of figures like the former Trump aide Stephen K. Bannon but has been reviled by others as a violent purveyor of hate was ordered released on bail on Wednesday, after challenging his conviction for contempt of court. LONDON — Tommy Robinson, the jailed British far-right activist backed by figures like the former Trump aide Stephen K. Bannon but reviled by others who call him a violent purveyor of hate, was ordered released on bail on Wednesday, after challenging his conviction for contempt of court.
Mr. Robinson was arrested in May after he broadcast live video from outside a criminal trial in Leeds, England, which had a news media blackout. Mr. Robinson was arrested in May after he live-streamed a video from outside a criminal trial in Leeds, England, which had a news media blackout. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison for contempt of court, provoking an international outcry in far-right circles.
He was sentenced to 13 months in prison for contempt of court, provoking an international outcry in far-right circles. On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal ordered his release, pending a new hearing in his case. The court questioned the speed with which had been tried and convicted, noting that it took five hours from the time of his arrest to a conviction.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal ordered his release, pending a new hearing in his case.
Who is Tommy Robinson?Who is Tommy Robinson?
Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the English Defense League, an anti-Islam and anti-immigration movement. Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the English Defense League, an anti-Islam and anti-immigration movement, known for violent street protests.
Born and raised in Luton, north of London, he worked at the town’s international airport but lost that job for assaulting an off-duty police officer. He was also arrested after being accused of inciting soccer violence, as a supporter to the Luton soccer club. Born and raised in Luton, north of London, he worked at the town’s international airport but lost that job for assaulting an off-duty police officer. He was also arrested after being accused of inciting soccer violence, as a supporter of the Luton soccer club.
In 2012, he was jailed for attempting to enter the United States on somebody else’s passport, and broke ties with the movement he had created. When released from prison, he briefly collaborated with an anti-extremism organization in London but soon returned to anti-Islam causes. “Wherever he has gone in his career he organized demonstrations that have resulted in extreme violence,” said Joe Mulhall, a senior researcher at Hope Not Hate, a London-based organization that researches hate groups.
He founded a local branch of the German anti-Islam movement, Pegida, which was known for mass demonstrations against Islam in cities in eastern Germany. He drew support from right-wing politicians in Europe, like Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom leader. “His divisive, anti-Muslim rhetoric has resulted in acts of violence,” he added, the most extreme of which occurred when a man, inspired by Mr. Robinson, rammed a van into a congregation of Muslims leaving a mosque in north London in January.
Mr. Robinson contends that Muslims are disproportionately responsible for crime in Britain, particularly crimes against women and girls. In 2012, Mr. Robinson was jailed for attempting to enter the United States on somebody else’s passport, and broke ties with the English Defense League.
He founded a local branch of the German anti-Islam movement, Pegida, which was known for mass demonstrations against Islam in cities in eastern Germany. He drew support from right-wing politicians in Europe, like Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom.
He contends that Muslims are disproportionately responsible for crime in Britain, particularly crimes against women and girls.
He has claimed that the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, “is busy enforcing elements of Shariah right now.”He has claimed that the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, “is busy enforcing elements of Shariah right now.”
And he says that the people presented by mainstream news media as moderate Muslims are actually dangerous extremists. And he says that the people presented by mainstream media as moderate Muslims are actually dangerous extremists.
Mr. Robinson was arrested outside a court in Leeds during the hearing of a case that had a news media blackout, a common practice in England for cases in which judges fear any media reports could influence the outcome of the trials. Mr. Robinson was arrested outside a court in Leeds during a child sexual abuse trial. The restrictions on the news media in this case were common practice in England for trials in which judges fear that any media reports could influence the outcome.
Mr. Robinson narrated the video, and attempted to show the defendants entering court. He had live streamed on Facebook for over an hour outside Leeds Crown Court, near the entrance, on May 25. In the broadcast, he revealed the identities of the defendants and the charges against them, and confronted some of them as they arrived in court.
The judgment said he had broadcast live video on Facebook outside Leeds Crown Court, near the entrance for defendants and jurors on May 25, while the jury retired for deliberation in a criminal case. This fits very much Mr. Robinson’s playbook, said Julia Ebner, a research fellow at the Center for Strategic Dialog, which works to counter extremism, in London.
In the broadcast, which lasted for more an hour, he spoke about the trial, revealed the identities of the defendants and the charges against them, and confronted some of the defendants as they arrived in court. “Every time he wants a campaign to go viral, he manages to trigger that with some provocative tweet or video,” Ms. Ebner said. “He knew, of course, that he was crossing the boundaries of the law, but he did it because he has to feed his fan base through provocative actions.”
He was arrested and pleaded guilty to contempt of court, with the judge, Geoffrey Marson, telling him his actions could cause a mistrial. Mr. Robinson and his supporters have argued that his case was about free speech. Yet, at rallies in Central London, his supporters were allowed to set up a stage and speak through loudspeakers near Britain’s center of power.
“Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech, but there are responsibilities and obligations,” the judge said, adding that an aggravating feature was that Mr. Robinson had encouraged others to share the video. After the May live-streaming, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to contempt of court, with the judge, Geoffrey Marson, telling him his actions could have caused a mistrial.
Mr. Robinson had already had a nearly identical run-in with the law, after he broadcast video during the 2017 trial of four men who were later convicted of gang-raping a teenage girl. In that case, he was also convicted of contempt of court, but received a suspended sentence. The judge added that an aggravating feature was that Mr. Robinson had encouraged others to share the video.
The prison sentence he received this year elevated him to greater prominence among the far right. Mr. Robinson attacked the judgment on a procedural basis, arguing that the court in Leeds had dealt with him summarily, as his sentence was pronounced hours after his broadcast occurred.
“Now he isn’t a far-right provocateur, he is a fearless citizen journalist,” wrote Adam Wagner, a legal expert, for The Guardian. The Court of Appeal on Wednesday appeared to agree, saying that it had been “inappropriate to proceed immediately” after the video was removed from the internet, and pointed to other procedural errors.
Mr. Robinson held a prominent place among far-right groups, especially in the United States, who argued that his conviction had been in breach of free speech. “Tommy Robinson is not innocent today,” Mr. Mulhall said, “despite how his supporters are attempting already to spin this.”
“I don’t think Tommy is a bad guy; I think he’s a solid guy; and I think he’s got to be released from prison,” Mr. Bannon said on a British radio talk show in July. Mr. Robinson previously had a nearly identical run-in with the law, after he broadcast video during the 2017 trial of four men who were later convicted of gang-raping a teenage girl. In that case, he was convicted of contempt of court, but received a suspended sentence.
“A lot of people say that that law is way too restrictive. It’s just free speech.” Mr. Robinson holds a prominent place among far-right groups, especially in the United States, who argued that his conviction had been in breach of free speech.
In response to news of Mr. Robinson’s arrest, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “Don’t let America follow in those footsteps.” Mr. Bannon, the former chief strategist for President Trump, said on a British radio talk show in July, “A lot of people say that that law is way too restrictive. It’s just free speech.”
When the journalist insisted that Mr. Robinson had broken the law, Mr. Bannon unleashed an expletive-filled tirade and said that Mr. Robinson was the “backbone of this country.”
He said, “You lose guys like Tommy Robinson you’re not going to have a country.”
In response to news of Mr. Robinson’s arrest in May, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “Don’t let America follow in those footsteps.”
Mr. Mulhall, of Hope Not Hate, said of Mr. Robinson, “He has become a rallying point around which people on the international far right and have gathered.”
This support has allowed Mr. Robinson, who had no regular income, to finance his activities through crowdfunding and financial help from like-minded organizations.
While alliances among nationalist groups may seem a contradiction and have failed in the past, this new form of “nationalist networking” has been a success, Ms. Ebner said.
“By partnering up internationally, they can really influence political discourse in their home countries by having such a loud voice,” she said.
Mr. Robinson is “emblematic of the climate in which we are operating, the diminished power and importance of truth,” Mr. Mulhall said, adding that the campaign for Mr. Robinson was “in line in many ways with what we saw around the election of Donald Trump.”
Mr. Robinson’s release was hailed by his supporters on Twitter, including Mr. Wilders who said it was “fantastic news.”