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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Far-right figure Tommy Robinson arrested for train station assault in UK
Police in the United Kingdom have arrested the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson on suspicion of assault, following an attack last month at London's St Pancras station. The far-right campaigner, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested at about 6.30pm (17:30 GMT) on Monday evening at Luton airport, which is located north of the English capital. Robinson had just landed there on a flight from the Portuguese city of Faro. His detention comes a week on from the alleged assault at one of London's main railway terminals. 'The man had been wanted for questioning after leaving the country to Tenerife in the early hours of 29 July following the incident at St Pancras,' the British Transport Police (BTP) said on Monday evening. He will now be questioned in custody 'on suspicion of… grievous bodily harm', the BTP added. Although the statement did not directly name Robinson, he was shown in a video of the incident that was widely circulated online. In the footage, the former founder of the far-right English Defence League is seen walking near a motionless man, claiming to have acted in self-defence. The other man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which the police said were 'not thought to be life threatening'. Robinson has numerous convictions for public order and contempt offences. In May, he was released from a prison in Buckinghamshire four months early, after the high court cut his 18-month sentence. He was imprisoned in October 2024 for contempt of court after admitting that he had flouted an injunction that prevented him from repeating false claims about a Syrian schoolboy. The injunction came into force after the far-right activist lost a libel case against Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian refugee whom Robinson was judged to have defamed. Robinson has been described by the advocacy group Hope Not Hate as 'the UK's most notorious far-right extremist'. Earlier this year, tech billionaire and former adviser to United States President Donald Trump, Elon Musk called for Robinson to be freed from a UK prison where he was held at the time, and where he is likely to be returning after his latest arrest.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Refugee and migrant crossings to UK hit record high by end of July
More than 25,000 people have crossed the English Channel into the United Kingdom so far this year, marking the fastest pace of arrivals since records began in 2018 and piling pressure on the UK's Labour government as anti-immigration sentiment is stoked by the political right wing. Figures released on Thursday show that nearly 900 refugees and migrants made the crossing in 13 small boats on Wednesday alone, bringing the total number of arrivals in 2025 to 25,436. It's a perilous journey that has resulted in dozens of deaths over the years. The milestone is likely to intensify political scrutiny over Prime Minister Keir Starmer's handling of undocumented migration. His government has pledged tougher action on smuggling networks, with Starmer vowing to 'smash the gangs' responsible for transporting people across the Channel. Opposition politicians have seized on the latest numbers to criticise Labour's approach. 'Almost 900 people crossed the Channel yesterday, meaning 25,000 people, mainly young men, have crossed the Channel this year. [And] 2025 is the worst year on record so far, and the Labour Government are doing nothing to stop the crossings,' said Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. He added: 'Their 17 in, one out deal with France will not even make a dent – it would take 10 years for [Home Secretary] Yvette Cooper to deport the illegal immigrants that have arrived since the start of this year alone under her so-called deal, which still hasn't started.' Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced 'one in, one out' returns of asylum seekers earlier this month. The pilot programme sets out that for every person returned, a different individual would be allowed 'to come here via a safe route: controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally', Starmer said at the time. Philp also reiterated his party's proposal to immediately detain and deport new arrivals, warning that continued legal challenges under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) could force a Conservative government to consider withdrawing from it, a threat they have often made in and around the Brexit years when the party was in government. Radical right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage echoed those criticisms, writing on social media: '898 illegals crossed the English Channel yesterday. This means more hotels, more costs and more people who should not be here. The public have had ENOUGH!' A series of violent far-right demonstrations have been held recently outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, north of London. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a hardline anti-immigration platform and has been executing it during his second term with raids and deportations of immigrants, recently praised the UK government's efforts, saying it was 'doing a fantastic thing' by addressing the issue, though he admitted knowing 'nothing about the boats'.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
UK, US and allies accuse Iran of cross-border assassination plots
The United Kingdom and 13 allied nations have publicly accused Iran's intelligence services of orchestrating a wave of assassination attempts, abductions and intimidation campaigns against individuals residing in Europe and North America. In a joint statement issued on Thursday, governments including the United States, France, Germany and Canada denounced Tehran's alleged extraterritorial operations as a flagrant breach of national sovereignty. 'We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty,' the group said. The signatories – which also included Albania, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK – urged Iranian authorities to halt these activities, which they claimed were increasingly carried out in partnership with international criminal groups. A UK parliamentary committee recently attributed at least 15 plots targeting individuals in the UK since 2022 to Iranian intelligence operatives. British officials have responded with tighter measures. In March, the UK government said Iran would be required to register any political influence activity inside the country, citing 'escalating aggression' from its intelligence services. In May, UK police arrested seven Iranians over alleged threats to national security, which Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced as 'suspicious and unwarranted'. Similar concerns have emerged elsewhere in Europe. Dutch security services said Tehran was behind a foiled 2024 attempt to assassinate an Iranian dissident in the Netherlands – charges Iran denied. Authorities arrested two suspects, one of whom is also linked to the shooting of Spanish politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a vocal supporter of the Iranian opposition. Across the Atlantic, the US Department of Justice charged three European-based gang members and later a senior Iranian official with plotting to kill an Iranian-American journalist. Two were convicted earlier this year, while the third pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed the men acted at the behest of the Iranian state. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called such statements 'baseless'. The allegations come at a time of renewed tensions over Iran's nuclear programme. Talks between Iran and Western powers remain frozen. Last week, Iranian officials held 'frank' discussions in Istanbul with diplomats from the UK, Germany and France. The meeting marked the first engagement since Israel's mid-June air strikes on Iran, which triggered a 12-day flare-up involving US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. While Israel insists Iran is covertly pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim it has not substantiated, Tehran maintains its nuclear activities are for civilian use only. US intelligence agencies, meanwhile, assessed in March that Iran was not actively developing a bomb, contradicting former President Donald Trump's claim that it was 'close' to doing so
