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Al Jazeera
27-05-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Far-right figure Tommy Robinson released early from UK prison
British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson has been freed from prison after winning his plea for early release. The anti-Islam campaigner, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, walked out of HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire on Tuesday after a high court cut his 18-month sentence by four months. The 42-year-old was imprisoned in October 2024 for contempt of court after admitting he had violated an injunction by repeating false claims about a Syrian schoolboy. The injunction had been imposed after Robinson lost a high-profile libel case brought by Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian refugee assaulted at his school in Huddersfield in 2018. A video of the attack went viral, after which Robinson posted a series of defamatory statements online. He was later ordered to pay £100,000 ($124,000) in damages and legal costs. Following his release, he addressed followers for 20 minutes via his X account, sporting a scraggly beard, long hair and a rosary. He thanked X owner Elon Musk and slammed the British government in a video titled 'Tommy freed from prison' posted on his social media. Robinson had originally been scheduled for release in late July, but applied to the High Court to purge his contempt order. The court heard he had committed 10 breaches of the injunction. These included promoting a film titled Silenced, which featured the debunked claims, and screening the same film at a central London rally last year. In a decision last week, Justice Johnson acknowledged Robinson's lack of remorse at the time of sentencing but noted a 'change in attitude' since. 'He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future [and] that he has no intention of breaching it again,' the judge said. The civil proceedings were brought by the solicitor general, who argued Robinson had deliberately defied the injunction by authorising and distributing the film, as well as reiterating the allegations during multiple interviews in 2023. Despite the sentence reduction, Justice Johnson warned that any future violations could result in a prison term of up to two years. Robinson remains a polarising figure in the UK, known for his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, and repeated legal confrontations tied to his political activism. He has been blamed for helping prompt the country's worst riots in years in 2024, which he denies. He has also found backing from American billionaire Musk, who earlier this year campaigned to free the far-right activist from prison.
Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison
LONDON: British far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been released from prison after his sentence was reduced by four months. The 42-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for contempt of court in October. He left Woodhill prison on Tuesday after his 18-month sentence was reduced by the High Court last week. His sentence was first issued after he admitted to breaching an injunction that prevented him from repeating false allegations against Jamal Hijazi. The Syrian refugee, a schoolboy at the time of the high-profile incident in October 2018, was assaulted by a fellow student at Almondbury Community School in the English town of Huddersfield. A video clip of the assault went viral, and Robinson published false claims about Hijazi, who sued him for libel. Robinson was ordered to pay Hijazi's legal costs and £100,000 ($135,000) in damages, as well as cease repeating the false claims. Robinson admitted to breaching the injunction on 10 occasions, leading to his imprisonment. After ordering his early release last week, the High Court judge described an 'absence of contrition or remorse' from Robinson, but added: 'He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tommy Robinson case: Why was he jailed and why is he being released early?
Far-right figure is set to be released from prison four months early after the reduced his 18-month sentence for . Robinson, whose real name is , was jailed in October 2023 for repeatedly breaching an injunction banning him from spreading false claims about a Syrian refugee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His early release follows a court ruling that accepted he had shown a willingness to comply with the order, despite lacking any clear signs of remorse. Why was Robinson jailed? Robinson, was jailed in October 2023 for breaching a court order that prohibited him from repeating libellous claims about a Syrian teenager. The case stemmed from false allegations Robinson made in 2018, when he described then-schoolboy Jamal Hijazi as a violent bully in videos shared online. These claims were later proven to be untrue, with Hijazi successfully suing Robinson for libel in 2021 and being awarded £100,000 in damages. Following the libel ruling, an injunction was issued to prevent Robinson from repeating the defamatory statements. However, he went on to breach the order multiple times through interviews, online videos, and a speech at a public rally, which led to his conviction for contempt of court. He admitted to ten breaches of the injunction. Robinson's actions triggered further abuse directed at the teenager, who was forced to leave school and whose family had to relocate. The sentencing judge in October imposed an 18-month prison term, which included a 14-month punitive element and a four-month coercive element—designed to pressure Robinson into complying with the injunction. He was jailed at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Why he's being released early On Tuesday, the high court in London ruled that Robinson's sentence should be reduced, potentially allowing for his release within days. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, who oversaw the hearing, said Robinson had shown a 'change in attitude' and accepted that he had given clear assurances not to breach the injunction again. Robinson's legal team argued that he had taken steps to remove the offending content and had demonstrated his commitment to complying with the court's order. His lawyer, Alex Di Francesco, said each breach capable of being 'purged' had been acted upon, with most material removed from online platforms. While the judge acknowledged Robinson's ongoing lack of remorse, he accepted that the coercive portion of the sentence had served its purpose. As a result, Robinson will only be required to complete the punitive element, which ends this week. He had originally been due for release on 26 July.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Tommy Robinson to be FREED from jail after sentence for contempt of court slashed
TOMMY Robinson will be freed from jail after his sentence for contempt of court was today slashed. The far-Right activist - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - was locked up for 18 months in October for contempt of court. 2 Robinson has since been "segregated" from other inmates at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire following threats to his safety. The former EDL leader had appealed against his sentence, whichwas today reduced by four months. It means he will be back on the streets within the next week. It comes after he previously launched an unsuccessful bid appeal against the length of his sentence. Robinson's lawyers argued his time in prison was "making him ill" and that the segregation was having a "demonstrable effect". But barristers for the Solicitor General, who opposes the appeal, said there are "no grounds" for reducing the sentence. The decision last month marked Robinson's second defeat in less than a month after a separate appeal bid against the segregation was thrown out. The court was told there are fears Robinson will be assaulted or even killed by a "lifer" for "kudos" - hence the decision to move him to a closed wing. A lawyer for the Ministry of Justice said at least two inmates were plotting to attack Robinson and that he had a "mark on his head". Robinson was jailed after admitting ten breaches of a High Court order made in 2021 by repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee. The row first erupted in 2018 when a video went viral that showed Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian in West Yorkshire, being attacked by another teenager at school. Robinson posted his own response this his one million Facebook followers falsely claiming that Jamal was a violent thug. As a result, the teen and his family received a string of death threats and were later awarded £100,000 in damages after suing Robinson for defamation. The court slapped the activities with an injunction that banned him from making the claims again. But in 2023, Robinson lashed out at Jamal again and posted a video claiming he had been "silenced" by the state. He re-showed the clip to thousands of his supporters in London 's Trafalgar Square. Jailing him, Judge Mr Justice Johnson said the breaches were not 'accidental, negligent or merely reckless'. He added: "In a democratic society underpinned by the rule of law, court orders must be obeyed. 'Nobody is above the law. Nobody can pick or choose which laws or which injunctions they obey, or which they do not. 'Even if they believe that an injunction is... contrary to their views they must comply with the injunction. 'They are not entitled to set themselves up as the judge in their own court. Otherwise the administration of justice and rule of law would break down.' Robinson was set to be released from prison on July 26. 2
