According to some of his supporters, Tommy Robinson was arrested under anti-terrorism laws. The moment of his alleged arrest was shared on social media.
The images of the figure, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, were posted on his verified social media account after he led a march through central London.
Saturday’s protest drew thousands of supporters. The Metropolitan Police confirmed an investigation was underway after a film was shown to the crowd and a complaint has been filed for breaching a High Court order.
The Mirror reports that Robinson also posted an hour and 45-minute film on X/Twitter, where he claimed he had previously avoided posting the clip because he was “scared”.
It is unclear whether the arrest is linked to the film which focuses on the case of Jamal Hijazi, a schoolboy who was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.
Robinson was later ordered to pay the young Syrian £100,000 after being prosecuted for making defamatory remarks about him. Jamal said Robinson’s comments had earned him “death threats and extremist agitation”.
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A spokesperson for Tommy Robinson shared a message on his X/Twitter profile stating that he had been arrested. It read: “We can confirm that Tommy Robinson has been arrested by police under powers under the Terrorism Act 2000.”
“That’s right, you read that right, Tommy is being held by the police under anti-terrorism legislation. We will update you as soon as possible.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the Mirror: “We are not identifying anyone who may or may not have been arrested before being charged. But, in reference to this post on X, there is no involvement from the Metropolitan Police.”
It is not known what organisation is believed to have arrested Robinson. Huge crowds gathered in the capital yesterday for Robinson’s march, which he called “the largest patriotic gathering the UK has ever seen”.
Police made nine arrests during the protest and a video on X/Twitter shows police dispersing a crowd of Robinson supporters.
The video also shows a person waving a Palestinian flag, which becomes the target of insults from Robinson’s supporters. Robinson addressed the large crowd that participated in the demonstration.
He said he was “silenced” as his supporters chanted his name and said “we want our country back”. Others held up signs reading “no far right, just right”.
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