Founder of far-right English Defense League admits contempt of court charges

LONDON -- The laminitis of nan far-right English Defense League was sentenced Monday to a twelvemonth and a half successful situation for violating a tribunal bid barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, amended known arsenic Tommy Robinson, admitted successful Woolwich Crown Court that he was successful contempt of tribunal for violating a 2021 tribunal injunction by giving interviews broadcast connected YouTube, a podcast and successful a documentary he presented during a rally successful London's Trafalgar Square successful July that was besides posted connected his X relationship and wide viewed.

Justice Jeremy Johnson said Robinson’s breaches of nan injunction were not “accidental, negligent aliases simply reckless” but a “planned, deliberate, direct, flagrant breach of nan court’s orders.”

“Nobody is supra nan law. Nobody tin prime and take which injunctions they obey and those they do not," Johnson said. “It is successful nan interests of nan full organization that injunctions are obeyed.”

Robinson had been ordered not to repetition mendacious allegations that a teen, Jamal Hijazi, had bullied and threatened different students astatine school. Hijazi successfully sued him for libel and was awarded 100,000 British pounds ($130,000) successful damages.

Robinson violated nan injunction 10 times since 2023, including by airing a documentary, titled “Silenced,” he made connected nan lawsuit that has been viewed much than 44 cardinal times.

Attorney Aidan Eardley, connected behalf of nan Solicitor General, said that disobeying a tribunal bid created a consequence that others mightiness not respect tribunal orders.

“The harm present is that millions of group spot Mr. Yaxley-Lennon thumbing his chemoreceptor astatine nan court,” Eardley said.

Robinson, 41, who founded nan nationalist and anti-Islamist EDL, is 1 of nan astir influential far-right figures successful Britain. Thousands of group rallied successful support of him connected Saturday successful cardinal London astatine a Unite nan Kingdom rally that he had planned but wasn't capable to be because he had been jailed.

His supporters packed nan assemblage successful tribunal and crowded extracurricular nan courthouse for nan hearing.

Robinson, who stood successful nan dock successful a grey suit and achromatic shirt, looked astatine nan dozens of group successful nan assemblage and shrugged his shoulders arsenic nan condemnation came down.

Robinson was jailed Friday connected a warrant issued aft he grounded to look for nan tribunal contempt proceeding successful July and near nan country.

While he was retired of nan state — successful Cyprus for astatine slightest portion of his clip distant — he was blamed for utilizing his societal media beingness to operation up protests that turned into a week of rioting crossed England and Northern Ireland this summer. The demonstrations turned convulsive aft societal media users falsely identified nan fishy successful a stabbing rampage that killed 3 young girls successful nan seaside organization of Southport arsenic an migrant and a Muslim.

Robinson has been jailed successful nan past for assault, contempt of tribunal and owe fraud.

He was banned from Twitter successful 2018, but he was allowed backmost aft Elon Musk took complete nan societal web and later renamed it X. He now has 1 cardinal -followers.