Tommy Robinson (activist)
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (born 27 November 1982), better known as Tommy Robinson, is a British anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK’s most prominent far-right activists.[4][5] He was a political advisor to former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Gerard Batten.
Tommy Robinson
- Andrew McMaster
- Paul Harris
- Wayne King
- 15-month (2005)
- 12-month (2013)
- 18-month (2014)
- 10-month (2018)
- 9-month (2019)
- 12-week (2011)
- 3-month (2018, activated)
- 12-month (2011)
Robinson has been active in far-right politics for many years. He was a member of the British National Party (BNP), a British fascist political party, from 2004 to 2005. For a short time in 2012, he was joint vice-chairman of the far-right British Freedom Party (BFP). He co-founded the far-right English Defence League (EDL) in 2009 and led it until 8 October 2013. In 2015, he became involved with the development of Pegida UK, a now-defunct British chapter of the German far-right Pegida. From 2017 to 2018, he wrote and appeared in videos on the Canadian far-right website Rebel News.
Robinson has served four prison terms between 2005 and 2019. In 2013, he entered the United States using a friend's passport. In 2018, he violated a court order by publishing a Facebook Live video of defendants entering court. Prior to sentencing, he appeared on the American far-right website InfoWars to appeal for political asylum in the U.S. In 2021, he was found to have libelled a 15-year-old refugee at a school in Huddersfield and was ordered to pay £100,000 plus legal costs․ Also in 2021, he was subjected to a five-year stalking prevention order for harassing journalist Lizzie Dearden and her partner.
Early life
Robinson was born in Luton on 27 November 1982.[6] According to Robinson in 2013, he was born Stephen Yaxley in London, and later adopted by his stepfather, Thomas Lennon.[7][8]
Robinson had an Irish mother and an English father. His mother, who worked at a local bakery, also worked at the Vauxhall car plant in Luton.[9] He applied to study aircraft engineering at Luton Airport after leaving school: "I got an apprenticeship 600 people applied for, and they took four people on". He qualified in 2003 after five years of study, but lost his job when he was convicted of assaulting an off-duty police officer in a drunken argument[9] for which he served a 12-month prison sentence.[10]
Political activities
Robinson joined the far-right and fascist British National Party (BNP), then led by Nick Griffin, in 2004. When questioned about this by the journalist Andrew Neil in June 2013, he said that he had left after one year because he did not know Griffin was in the National Front or that non-whites could not join the organisation: "I joined, I saw what it was about, it was not for me."[7] He was involved with the group United Peoples of Luton, formed in response to a March 2009 protest against Royal Anglian Regiment troops returning from the Afghan War[15] being attacked by the Islamist groups Al-Muhajiroun and Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah.[110]
In September 2018, Robinson expressed a desire to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP). On 23 November 2018, UKIP leader Gerard Batten appointed Robinson as his own advisor.[111][112] In response, the former UKIP leader Nigel Farage described Robinson as a "thug" and said he was heartbroken with the direction UKIP was going.[113] Farage and a Welsh Assembly member called for Batten to be removed as leader.[111] At a UKIP meeting on 30 November, Robinson sat with Daniel Thomas, a convicted kidnapper.[114]
Many prominent UKIP members, including eight of its MEPs, resigned from the party in response to Robinson's appointment. Of the eight MEPs who left, two were former party leaders. One was the UKIP's leader in Scotland; and another was Nigel Farage, who said Robinson and his associates brought "scuffles" and "violence" into the party and "many have criminal records, some pretty serious".[115]
UKIP's rules deny membership to those who have been part of extreme right-wing groups in the past: these preclude Robinson from joining, as he founded the English Defence League (EDL), had been a member of the British National Party, and has had ties with the British Freedom Party. UKIP's National Executive Committee considered waiving that clause for Robinson as a special case. If approved, his possible membership would be put to a vote at the party's conference.[116] UKIP leader Batten supported Robinson joining the party, while the UKIP Welsh Assembly members Michelle Brown and David Rowlands said they opposed it.[117]
On 25 April 2019, Robinson announced that he would be an independent candidate in the May 2019 European Parliament election in North West England.[118] It was reported Anne Marie Waters, leader of the far-right For Britain party, promised Robinson the support of her party.[119] Two people were hospitalised when Robinson campaigned as an MEP candidate in Warrington, Cheshire on 2 May. His security team and supporters physically attacked anti-racism activists, with one anti-racism activist saying she suffered a broken nose. Police launched an investigation into the violence.[120] Robinson finished eighth in the election with 38,908 votes (2.2%), widely described as "humiliating" in the media, and losing his deposit.[121] He said he had faced a "near impossible task" in attempting to win a seat, as he was "unable to get across his message on social media platforms" after being banned by almost all such platforms.[122] His reaction was to mock the idea of a People's Vote by joking about having another election.[123]
Prior to the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Robinson endorsed Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.[124] Following the election, he announced he had joined the party.[125] However, this was denied by a Conservative MP and by the Conservative Party nationally.[126] Scram:, a website that campaigns against Robinson and other figures it sees as promoting far-right politics, has also debunked the claim.[127]
In May 2021, he attended a march in London in support of Israel.[128]
Although Robinson has stated he is the son of Irish immigrants, he appeared to show support in 2019 for an ex-British soldier facing prosecution for two murders on Bloody Sunday. Robinson wore a badge that said "I support soldiers A–Z" after "Soldier F" was set to face charges for the murder of civilians.[129]
Financial support
Robinson has received over £2 million in donations and sponsorship, much of it from foreign sources.[130]
In 2017, American billionaire Robert J. Shillman funded Robinson's fellowship at the right-wing Canadian website Rebel News, with Robinson receiving over $6,000 (£5,000) per month.[131]
In 2018, Robinson received £2 million in donations that were sought by opponents of his imprisonment.[132] That same year, the American Middle East Forum think tank (led by Daniel Pipes and described as "fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment") said it had been funding rallies in Robinson's support and paying legal costs in his appeal against his prison sentence.[133] He also received funding from the right-wing Yellow Vest Australia group.[131] For several months in late 2018, he used Facebook's donations feature that was intended for charities to instead collect money for a new conspiracy theory website and to fund legal action against the British government for his own prison treatment. Hours later, Facebook removed the button from Robinson's page.[131] In November 2018, PayPal told Robinson that it would no longer process payments on his behalf, which he described as "fascism".[134] The service said it cannot "be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory".[135]
Bankruptcy
Before incurring an estimated £1.6 million in costs following the libel trial, Robinson filed for bankruptcy in March 2021, using the name Stephen Christopher Lennon.[214] The official receiver was searching for concealed assets, including any which had been put into other people's names.[226] Former employees have raised questions as to what happened to money raised to support him. He denies misusing funds.[214] In January 2022, people owed money by Robinson (including the libelled schoolboy, the boy's lawyers, HMRC, a former business partner and the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness) appointed an independent insolvency expert in an attempt to recover their money before the deadline for claims in March 2022.[92]
Personal life
The name "Tommy Robinson" is taken from a prominent member of the Luton Town MIGs, a football hooligan crew which follows Luton Town FC.[16] The pseudonym successfully hid his identity and criminal history until the connection was uncovered in July 2010 by Searchlight magazine.[11][227] He has also used the names Andrew McMaster, Paul Harris,[195] Wayne King,[228][229] and Stephen Lennon.[195]
Robinson married Jenna Vowles in 2011 and is the father of three children.[230] The couple divorced in February 2021.[92] In 2010, he owned a tanning salon in Luton.[231][232]