Tommy Robinson (activist)

Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson
	Robinson in 2023
Born	Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon; 27 November 1982 (age 41); Luton, England
Other names	Andrew McMaster; Paul Harris; Wayne King;
Known for	English Defence League; Far-right activism;
Political party	BNP (2004–2005); BFP (2012);
Movement	Anti-Islam; far-right;
Criminal charges	Contempt of court; assault; public order offence; false identity; mortgage fraud; stalking; anti-social behaviour;
Criminal penalty	Prison sentences: 15-month (2005); 12-month (2013); 18-month (2014); 10-month (2018); 9-month (2019); Suspended sentences: 12-week (2011); 3-month (2018, activated); Community rehabilitation: 12-month (2011);

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.

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.

^ Busby, Mattha (23 February 2019). "Tommy Robinson protests at BBC HQ over Panorama documentary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
^ Nicholson, Kate (27 November 2023). "Why Was Tommy Robinson Arrested At The March Against Antisemitism?". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
^ "Tommy Robinson: Who is the ex-EDL leader born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon?". ITVX. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-2011-headbutt-conviction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "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.

[1] Busby, Mattha (23 February 2019). "Tommy Robinson protests at BBC HQ over Panorama documentary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

[2] Nicholson, Kate (27 November 2023). "Why Was Tommy Robinson Arrested At The March Against Antisemitism?". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

[3] "Tommy Robinson: Who is the ex-EDL leader born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon?". ITVX. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

[bbc-2011-headbutt-conviction-4] Cite error: The named reference bbc-2011-headbutt-conviction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "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.

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Tommy Robinson
Robinson in 2023
Born	Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon^[1]^[2]^[3] (1982-11-27) 27 November 1982 (age 41) Luton, England
Other names	Andrew McMaster Paul Harris Wayne King
Known for	English Defence League Far-right activism
Political party	BNP (2004–2005) BFP (2012)
Movement	Anti-Islam far-right
Criminal charges	Contempt of court assault public order offence false identity mortgage fraud stalking anti-social behaviour
Criminal penalty	Prison sentences: 15-month (2005) 12-month (2013) 18-month (2014) 10-month (2018) 9-month (2019) Suspended sentences: 12-week (2011) 3-month (2018, activated) Community rehabilitation: 12-month (2011)