The killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in the UK earlier this week ignited race riots, leading to violent clashes between far-right extremists and anti-racism activists.
Nearly 400 people have been arrested as the unrest has spread, targeting private businesses and causing damage to public property.
Anealla Safdar, Europe editor, faced racial harassment in the otherwise tranquil town of Tonbridge. The hecklers chanted “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Robinson,” a name that has become a rallying cry for white supremacists across the UK. Safdar, who was walking with her young daughters, described the experience as chilling and indicative of the current turbulent climate.
So, who is Tommy Robinson, the figure whose name is being invoked in these troubling times?
Born Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon in 1982 in England, Robinson is a British anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK’s most prominent far-right extremists. He has a criminal record and has been involved in several controversial activities.
Robinson’s upbringing in Luton, a diverse town, played a significant role in shaping his views. His mother was an Irish immigrant, and he attended Putteridge High School, where he claimed to have witnessed gang activity along racial lines. His autobiography, Enemy of the State, details his experiences with gang fights and personal grievances, including not being invited to the weddings of two Muslim friends he had known from school.
In 2009, Robinson adopted the pseudonym “Tommy Robinson,” borrowing it from a notorious Luton Town football hooligan to separate his extremist activities from his personal life. That same year, he co-founded the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right organization that positioned itself as a response to radical Islam in the UK. Under his leadership, the EDL organized numerous protests that often ended in violent confrontations with counter-protesters and the police. In 2011, Robinson was convicted of leading a street brawl involving 100 people and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Robinson’s legal troubles continued when, in 2014, he was sentenced to 18 months for mortgage fraud, unrelated to his political activities. He admitted to using false information to secure a mortgage worth over $200,000.
In October 2013, Robinson stepped down from the EDL, criticizing its shift towards more extreme elements. He later collaborated with the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam and became a correspondent for Rebel Media, a Canadian far-right outlet.
Robinson has focused on exposing alleged Muslim grooming gangs, often using inflammatory rhetoric. In May 2018, he was arrested for live-streaming outside a court during a grooming gang trial, which was under reporting restrictions. He was charged with contempt of court and initially sentenced to 13 months in prison. This sentence was later reduced to nine months on appeal.
In 2019, Robinson ran as an independent candidate in the European parliamentary elections but failed to secure a seat. He has authored several books and appeared in documentaries on Islam and immigration, which are frequently criticized for spreading misinformation.
Despite facing financial difficulties, including a $127,000 damages order in a defamation case, Robinson remains active. He has been banned from several major social media platforms for promoting hate speech but continues to disseminate his content through alternative means.
Robinson recently fled the UK for Cyprus, evading legal proceedings related to contempt of court charges, as his supporters ignited tensions back home by targeting asylum seekers in Rotherham.
