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Tommy Robinson has been accused of stoking far-right riots following the Southport knife attack from afar after he left the UK last week.
The High Court was told on Monday that anti-Islam activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had left the country after being released on unconditional bail following his arrest in Kent the previous weekend.
A fresh warrant was issued for the English Defence League (EDL) founder’s arrest after he did not attend a scheduled hearing in a contempt of court case.
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But in the days since, Robinson has been regularly posting about the ongoing wave of disorder on social media.
The 41-year-old has been publishing running commentary and videos documenting the riots, describing the disorder as a result of “legitimate concerns” and calling for “mass deportations”.
Campaigners have accused Robinson of playing an important role in inciting violence directed at ethnic minority groups.
“There is no doubt that Tommy Robinson’s social media is playing a really important role in these far-right demos,” a spokesperson for Hope Not Hate told The Independent.
“Tommy Robinson’s reach has grown since his X account was reinstated last year. His last two demos in London have attracted tens of thousands of people and his X following is now over 800,000 people, meaning he once again has an enormous reach online.
“After Monday’s horrific attack, Tommy Robinson was regularly tweeting calling Islam a mental health issue, sharing videos of disorder and encouraging to join future demonstrations. One said: ’get there and show your support. People need to rise up.’
“We know that he was influential in Tuesday’s disturbance in Southport, rioters were chanting Tommy Robinson’s name and “Who the f*** is Allah?” - these are chants regularly heard at far-right demonstrations.”
Rioting has taken place around the UK in the wake of the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused carrying out the attack, but false claims spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker of Muslim faith who had arrived in the UK by small boat in 2023.
Several of the demonstrations have targeted mosques and other Muslim religious buildings.
Sabby Dhalu, co-convenor of Stand up to Racism told The Independent: “What we’re seeing in Liverpool, Hull, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Southport and elsewhere, is not just violent disorder and thuggery. They are racist, Islamophobic, fascist riots, with targeted attacks on Mosques, asylum seekers and anyone not white.
“Tommy Robinson is deliberately stoking up racism and Islamophobia, whilst on the run. It’s no accident that the riots took place days after Robinson mobilised 15,000 in Trafalgar Square last week. Fascists are emboldened.
“However this did not emerge from a vacuum. It’s a product of politicians stirring up Islamophobia and racism, whilst making people worse off. The only way to defeat this movement is to unite, mobilise against fascism and stand up to racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism.”
The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) claimed Robinson was “fanning the flames of violence” in the UK from afar.
“For over 23 years, MAB and other civil society organisations have warned about the growing far-right threat and the and the dangers of making Islam and Muslims appear as the main threat to British security; sadly, our warnings have proven correct,” a spokesperson told The Independent.
“Political and socio-economic failures have given prominence to individuals like Tommy Robinson, a criminal who has fled the country, and is fanning the flames of violence and terror.
“The warning signs during the Brexit campaign in 2016 were ignored, allowing the far-right to grow in influence.
“The government’s pandering to the far-right by labelling their actions as ‘legitimate concerns’ rather than addressing the real danger of far-right extremism has worsened the situation. The current wave of riots has seen mosques targeted, Muslims and other minorities attacked on the streets, and businesses looted and burned to the ground.”
Robinson’s exact whereabouts are unclear. However, photos emerged on Sunday purporting to show him at a hotel in Cyprus.
The same day, a reporter for Robinson’s online platform was forced to leave the scene of violent disorder in Rotherham outside a hotel housing asylum seekers after a mob clashed with police and started fires.
“It’s not very safe there, tensions are still high”, Robinson wrote on X: “The organisers of the demonstration are extremely disappointed as they wanted a peaceful protest today.”
