UK: Activist Tommy Robinson Jailed for 18 Months

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Facts

  • British political activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been jailed for 18 months after he admitted to contempt of court on Monday.[1]
  • In October 2018, Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi's family received death threats after the 41-year-old Robinson shared a viral video of him being attacked by a teenager at school, alleging that he was a violent criminal.[2]
  • Robinson was sued for libel at London's High Court by Hijazi in 2021 and was ordered to pay £100K ($137K) in damages and legal costs.[3][4]
  • The founder of the English Defence League was also issued an injunction to cease repeating libelous allegations against Hijazi. On Monday, he confessed to breaching the injunction 10 times.[5][6]
  • Passing sentence at London's Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Johnson said the breaches were neither accidental nor reckless but planned, deliberate, and direct violation of the court's order.[7]
  • Robinson, who handed himself in at a police station, was also charged with one count of failing to provide investigators access to his cellphone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.[8][1]

Sources: [1]Sky News, [2]BBC News, [3]New York Times, [4]CNN (a), [5]Euronews, [6]CNN (b), [7]Reuters and [8]Daily Mail.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Independent and Le Monde.fr. Robinson blatantly breached libel restrictions, thumbing his nose at the court, thinking he was above the law. With his incendiary comments, he not only disobeyed an injunction but also stirred up anti-immigrant riots across the UK in July. His sentence isn't a matter of his political views or freedom of expression but of his direct and flagrant breach of the court's order.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Youtube and Breitbart. Robinson's conviction doesn't mean he is far-right or has played a part in inciting the unrest in the UK. He accepts his guilt but acts as he did because he follows his principles, believes in free speech and a free press, and desires to expose the truth. Though the injunction contradicted his views, he will comply with the sentence.