Tommy Robinson.. Leader of Anti-Islam in Britain | Encyclopedia

British far-right activist, co-founder of the anti-Islam English Defence League, and former member of the British National Party and other groups described as having fascist or white nationalist links. Jailed on a range of criminal charges including assault, stalking, fraud, drug possession and passport fraud.

Birth and upbringing

Stephen Christopher Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, was born on November 27, 1982 in Luton, near London, to an Irish mother and an English father.

The name “Tommy Robinson” came from a prominent member of the “Hooligans” football cheer group, of which he was a member, as this group adopts a violent approach in cheering. He also used this name to hide his identity, and he wore a mask that concealed his face, which enabled him to deceive the police before his identity was revealed in 2010.

After his parents separated, his mother married Thomas Lennon, who worked in a car factory.

Robinson married Gina Foyles in 2011.

Study and training

After graduating from high school, he studied aeronautical engineering at Luton Airport, and was able to obtain a training opportunity for which about 600 people applied, but only 4 people succeeded, according to his own account.

He graduated in 2003, but was sentenced to a year in prison for assaulting a police officer, while Robinson was drunk.

Intellectual orientation

Robinson declared his interest in politics after his release from prison, and developed an anti-Islamic tendency. He mostly talked about what he called the “Islamic threat,” accusing the police of failing to confront this threat. He also described Islam as “a disease and a threat to our way of life,” and did not hesitate to insult the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.

In 2016, he wrote an article in which he said, “I do not belong to the far right, I am just against Islam. I believe that it is a backward and fascist religion.” He considered the refugee crisis that Europe witnessed at that time due to tensions in the Middle East to be “an Islamic invasion of Europe and has nothing to do with asylum,” and called for preventing refugees from reaching Britain.

He also described the city of Birmingham as the “epicentre of terrorism in Britain” due to its reputation for having a large Muslim population.

Political experience

Robinson's interest in politics began after his release from prison, and he championed the idea of ​​confronting what he called the “Islamist threat” in his hometown of Luton, claiming that the police were doing nothing to address this “threat”. His views were fuelled by the Westminster Bridge attack in March 2017 and the Manchester Arena attack two months later.

Following the two incidents, Robinson posted a video on his YouTube channel, attacking Islam and warning Britons that Muslims are “enemy combatants who want to kill you, maim you and destroy you.” The video has been viewed nearly 3 million times.

In 2004, Robinson became a member of the far-right fascist British National Party. In 2009, the group Al-Muhajiroun, described as “Islamist,” decided to block the path of a number of British soldiers from the Royal Anglican Regiment returning from the war in Afghanistan. Robinson decided to organize a counter-demonstration against the group and clashed with them. This incident was the reason for the birth of the English Defense League.

Robinson founded the English Defence League (EDL) with his cousin Kevin Carroll, saying he was inspired by reading in the newspapers about Islamists in the region trying to recruit men for the Taliban, and declared that the league was “against the rise of radical Islam” as he described it.

The association organized demonstrations and began promoting its anti-Islam orientation in 2010 by chanting slogans insulting God and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in addition to giving the Nazi salute. In addition to the anti-Islamists, the association included football fans from the category of “hooligans.”

Arrest and conviction

Robinson was arrested in 2011 for leading a group of about 100 people that caused riots, and was ordered to undergo community rehabilitation.

He was arrested again in 2013 for attempting to use a forged passport belonging to another person to enter the United States, and was imprisoned for 10 months.

In 2014, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for loan fraud. In 2017, he was convicted of contempt of court after he broadcast live from outside the courthouse to comment on the ongoing case, during which he insulted and criticized the court.

Robinson was sentenced to 13 months in prison, and his supporters organized a protest in central London, attended by 15,000 people, from the far right and neo-Nazis, which ended in violent clashes with police.

In 2018, his social media accounts (X, Facebook and Instagram) were deleted due to his speech that incites violence and hatred. The following year, Snapchat banned his account, and YouTube restricted access to his videos.

The Syrian child incident

A video clip spread across social media in October 2018, showing a number of school children beating the Syrian child Jamal Hijazi (15 years old). Robinson came out with statements saying that this boy was not innocent, accusing him of “attacking a British girl at his school.”

Robinson's statements exposed the Syrian child to threats, which forced his family to change homes to protect him. Months after Robinson was tried for inciting against the child, the court ruled to award Jamal Hijazi more than 100,000 pounds (about 127,000 dollars) in compensation.

But Robinson insisted he could not pay the sum because he was “bankrupt,” prompting many of his supporters around the world to raise funds and cover his legal expenses. Despite being ordered to appear in court, he fled the country to avoid legal consequences.

Financial support

During his years of repeated trials and imprisonment, Robinson received more than £2m in sponsorship and gifts, most of it from supporters outside Britain. He also received thousands of dollars a month for his fellowship with the Canadian website Rebel News, which is close to the far right.

Robinson also used Facebook's charitable donation feature for several months in late 2018, and received a £2 million donation in 2018 from opponents of his imprisonment, and was supported by the right-wing Australian Yellow Vests organisation.

Back after a long absence

After a period of absence from the spotlight, Robinson reappeared on July 27, 2024, and led a large march against immigrants and Muslims, which raised fears of violence, so he left the country again and an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Meanwhile, violent protests erupted across Britain after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance in Southport, northwest England. Anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups exploited the incident, and violence and chaos spread, with the police blaming the British Defence League.

The British newspaper, Daily Mail, said that on July 29, Robinson was spotted while spending a summer vacation with his family in a luxury hotel in Cyprus, at a time when he was encouraging riots and incitement throughout Britain, by publishing inciting tweets and posts against immigrants in Britain.