Tommy Robinson | |
|---|---|
 Robinson in 2023 | |
| Born | 27 November 1982 Luton, England |
| Other names |
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| Known for | |
| Political party | |
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| Spouse |
Jenna Vowles
(m. 2011; div. 2021) |
| Children | 3 |
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (né Yaxley; 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] Since 28 October 2024, he has been serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.
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 British Freedom Party (BFP). He co-founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009 and led it until October 2013. In 2015, he became involved with the development of Pegida UK, a now-defunct British chapter of the German Pegida. From 2017 to 2018, he wrote and appeared in videos on the Canadian website Rebel News. In 2018, he also served as a political advisor to former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Gerard Batten.
Robinson served four prison terms between 2005 and 2019. In 2013, he illegally 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 US. In 2021, he was subjected to a five-year stalking prevention order for harassing journalist Lizzie Dearden and her partner. 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. After breaching an injunction about repeating the libel, Robinson was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In June 2022 Robinson admitted gambling away £100,000 before declaring bankruptcy. He also said he owed an estimated £160,000 to HM Revenue and Customs. It is understood that he owes in the region of £2,000,000 to his creditors, and is the subject of a HMRC investigation over unpaid taxes.
- ^ "Why did Tommy Robinson change his name from real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon?". August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Nicholson, Kate (27 November 2023). "Why Was Tommy Robinson Arrested At The March Against Antisemitism?". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Tommy Robinson: Who is the ex-EDL leader born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon?". ITVX. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Tommy Robinson profile: Convicted criminal is one of UK's most prominent far-right activists". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.