To receive free real-time news alerts directly to your inbox, sign up for our news emails
Sign up for our free news emails
Tommy Robinson has fled the country after committing “flagrant” contempt of court over a film shown at a protest in central London, the High Court has heard.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, after he failed to appear at the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday for a hearing into a contempt of court case.
The solicitor general launched legal action against Robinson, 41, in June for allegedly breaching a court order after he lost a defamation battle in 2021.
But Adam Payter, representing the Solicitor General, said on Monday that the English Defence League founder was believed to have left the jurisdiction within hours of being released on unconditional bail following his arrest over the weekend.
Judge Johnson issued a new arrest warrant for Robinson, but ordered that it not be executed “until early October” to allow Robinson to indicate that he would voluntarily attend the next hearing or to apply to have the warrant “vacated.”
Mr Payter said the far-right figure was arrested following a large demonstration in central London which saw a film “critical to this claim” and which showed a “flagrant” and “admitted” breach of the court order.
He added that after the protest Robinson was stopped in Folkestone, Kent, during a stop and search at the port and arrested by Kent Police under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Mr Payter said: “We understand that he was uncooperative during the stop and search at the port. It is understood that he attempted to leave the country and therefore does not intend to attend this morning’s hearing.”
He added that Robinson had been reminded of Monday’s hearing before being released on unconditional bail at 10pm on Sunday, but was now believed to have “left the UK last night and had nothing to prevent him from doing so”.
The court was told that Robinson was “outside the jurisdiction of the UK”, with Mr Payter claiming that Robinson had returned to the UK “for the purpose of publishing the film” before leaving the country again “to place himself beyond the reach of the jurisdiction of this court”.
Judge Johnson said he was “entirely satisfied” the hearing could go ahead in Robinson’s absence, telling the court a further hearing in the case is expected to take place in October.
In 2021, Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi successfully sued Robinson after the then schoolboy was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.
After a video of the incident went viral, Robinson made false claims, including that Mr Hijazi attacked girls at his school, leading to a defamation case.
Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 in damages and his legal costs, and also issued an injunction preventing Robinson from repeating the allegations he made against the then teenager.
Campaign group Hope Not Hate alleged that Robinson ignored the injunction and repeated the allegations, providing a “dossier of evidence” to the attorney general’s office, with the solicitor general then taking legal action.
On Saturday afternoon, Robinson posted a one-hour, 45-minute version of the X-rated film, in which he said he had previously avoided posting the video because he was “afraid.”
A complaint was made over the film after it was allegedly shown to a crowd of Robinson supporters in central London that day in breach of the High Court order, with police saying officers were carrying out further investigations.
Around 1,000 police officers were deployed to “keep the peace” on Saturday as three protests – a “Uniting The Kingdom” demonstration organised by Robinson, a Stand Up To Racism march and a Trans Pride demonstration – drew thousands of people to central London, with at least nine people arrested following clashes.
Robinson’s arrest the following day was made public in a post on his verified X account on Sunday: “We can confirm that Tommy Robinson has been detained by police using powers under the Terrorism Act 2000.”
Kent Police said a 41-year-old man was arrested by Channel Tunnel officers in Folkestone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which allows police to stop anyone passing through a UK port “to determine whether they may be concerned or implicated in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”. He was released on bail.
