Support truly
independent journalism
Videos with the keyword Tommy Robinson have been watched over 174.8 million times across various platforms in the past month, the Independent can exclusively reveal.
Social media data analysed by Hootsuite, the social media performance engine, shows how the right-wing agitator’s reach has spread across X (Twitter), Facebook, Youtube, Quora, and Reddit. Telegram , where Robinson has a significant presence, has not been included in Hootsuite’s data, meaning that estimated numbers are likely much higher.
The anti-Islam activist has enjoyed a sizeable boost to his following online after events surrounding race riots triggered by the stabbing of three young girls in Southport on July 29 and a rally he appeared at in Trafalgar Square several days before.
For more about how false information spread on social media about the Southport stabbing, read here.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been accused of fanning the flames from afar as he shared dozens of posts and videos of disorder, claiming that “armed Muslims” were running through Croydon “looking for the ghost of the EDL” and attacking emergency workers.
The data reveals that posts mentioning Tommy Robinson across social media platforms ballooned from just a few hundred per day, to 13,800 on the weekend of July 27 and 28.
Meanwhile on the worst day of the riots (August 4), posts mentioning Tommy Robinson were at their peak, at 7,434 in one day.
But Robinson has also seen a huge boost to his personal online presence. He has gained 388,000 followers on X since June 13 and (at the time of writing) now has more than 980,000 followers.
His own posts have accumulated over 434 million views on the platform since the stabbings, according to the Center for Countering Digital hate.
On Telegram, the secure messaging platform which has been a favorite of far-right groups organising riots, Tommy Robinson content is shared widely. One channel that posts videos and updates featuring Robinson has more than 105,000 followers.
Rioters have been heard chanting Tommy Robinson’s name in the numerous anti-migrant riots which emerged across the country in the proceeding days, according to charity Hope Not Hate.
A timeline of events
On Saturday July 27, Robinson had appeared at a rally in Trafalgar Square. Under a court order imposed in 2021, Robinson is barred from repeating allegations he made against a Syrian refugee, Jamal Hijazi, who sued him for libel.
The High Court heard two days later that Robinson had shown a “flagrant” and “admitted” breach of the court order, by screening a film titled Silenced at the demonstration that repeated allegations barred by the injunction.
Since the rally, there have been more than 69,000 posts mentioning the keyword Tommy Robinson, an increase of 1,348% compared to the equivalent previous period.
These posts have been engaged with over 4.3 million times in that time — an engagement rate 20 times higher than before the rally.
On the Sunday (July 28), Robinson attempted to leave the UK via the Channel Tunnel, where he was held by police under counter-terrorism powers. He was then released on bail that evening, and successfully left the country.
On Monday (July 29) Robinson did not show up to to a hearing after committing a “flagrant” contempt of court by playing his film over the weekend, the subject of which was a Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi who had successfully sued him for libel in 2021.
Although the content of the film was found to be libellous by the courts, Robinson continues to share it prominently on X.
There were 6,400 posts mentioning Tommy Robinson on Monday 29 July, the same day that three young girls were fatally stabbed and more wounded in a dance class in Southport, by an unnamed 17-year-old male.
Robinson, who was staying at a luxury resort in Cyprus while disorder was unfolding in the UK, offered a running commentary and videos documenting the riots on social media, describing the disorder as a result of “legitimate concerns” and calling for “mass deportations”.
Campaigners accused Robinson of playing an important role in inciting violence directed at ethnic minority groups.
