UK: Tommy Robinson Arrested Under Terrorism Law

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Facts

  • Right-wing activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested at the Channel tunnel in Folkestone on Sunday under schedule seven of the Terrorism Act 2000 for not complying with a stop and search.[1]
  • A day prior, Robinson had organized a 'Uniting The Kingdom' rally between the Royal Courts of Justice and Trafalgar Square in London. The event was met by a coalition of counter-protesters, and a total of nine people were arrested due to clashes with police.[2]
  • According to Robinson's X account, he was arrested, released on bail, and had his phone confiscated after leading the demonstration of thousands of people. Following his arrest, about 100 people reportedly protested outside Downing Street to call for his release.[3]
  • An arrest warrant has since been filed for Robinson after he failed to appear in London's High Court on Monday having left the UK after being bailed. The appearance concerns a separate contempt of court case after being found guilty of libel in 2021.[4]
  • A defamation lawsuit three years ago between Robinson and a Syrian refugee named Jamal Hijazi, who Robinson had assaulted in 2018, found the activist to have falsely accused Hijazi of attacking school girls in 2021.[5]
  • Having been ordered to pay Hijazi £100K ($128K) and not to repeat the unfounded allegations, Robinson has since made a film circulated on social media where the claims are repeated. The film was also shown at Saturday's demonstration in London.[6]

Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]Independent, [3]Human Events, [4]The Telegraph (a), [5]The Telegraph (b) and [6]BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Hopenothate. If Robinson's blatant violation of his defamation ruling wasn't bad enough, tens of thousands of his far-right supporters, as well as several fellow far-right speakers, joined last weekend's illegal performance. Robinson's growing popularity has also gone from attacking Muslim refugees to targeting LGBTQ people, vaccines, and green energy. The UK is witnessing an unprecedented growth in hate-filled movements.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Urban Scoop. For simply showing up to a rally and speaking his mind, Tommy Robinson was detained for six hours and treated like a terror suspect, with police revoking his right to remain silent under the terror law. The irony is that while the police spend their time interrogating an innocent political activist, they're choosing to ignore actual pro-Hamas protesters filling the streets at the same time. The UK treats patriotism with disdain while propping up those who hate the country.