The far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been hosted by the Trump administration for a meeting at the state department in Washington.
Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was hosted by Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the state department.
Rittenhouse wrote on X: “Honoured to have free speech warrior @TRobinsonNewEra at Department of State today.
“The world and the West is a better place when we fight for freedom of speech and no one has been on the front lines more than Tommy. Good to see you my friend!”
Robinson, who has convictions for assault, using a fake passport, mortgage fraud and contempt of court for repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee in breach of an injunction, wrote on X: “In America making alliances & friendships, today I had the privilege of an invite to the @StateDept.”
Robinson visited the state department “in an unofficial capacity on a tour today”, a department spokesperson told Reuters via email, without providing answers to questions on who else Robinson met, what was discussed and what the objective of his visit was.
In the photographs Rittenhouse posted on X, Robinson can be seen examining the objects in the department’s John Quincy Adams state drawing room, one of the department’s diplomatic reception rooms, which features collections and masterpieces from the federal era.
Earlier this month, the far-right agitator said he has left the UK after he was warned by police that they received intelligence he was named in a so-called Islamic State publication which encouraged others “to commit violence” against him.
He posted a clip of a phone call from police to his X account in which an officer told him he had been identified in a magazine called Yalghaar, which is reportedly published by ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province).
Robinson wrote on X: “I have now left the country, I need time to work things out for my safety and the safety of my family.
“I will probably have to relocate them.”
In November, the far-right activist was cleared of a terror-related offence after being accused over a refusal to give police access to his phone during a border stop in Folkestone, Kent.
After his acquittal, he thanked the US tech billionaire Elon Musk, who he said had funded his legal costs in the case.
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman told The National the Trump administration welcoming Robinson would be “deeply alarming”.
She said: “This is a man who has built his profile on division, racism and Islamophobia, and whose politics are rooted in the most vile hatred and fascism, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Donald Trump’s White House are among his fans.
“When communities across the UK are facing rising levels of hate crime and far-right extremism, the idea that figures like Robinson are being treated as legitimate political actors by what are supposed to be our international allies should concern us all.”
Chapman added: “Instead of rolling out the red carpet for extremists, we should be rolling out legislation that ensures we work together internationally to tackle hate, defend human rights and build inclusive democracies that protect everyone.”
