US refuses to grant visa to top British Islamophobe
Authorities in the United States have refused to grant visa to the most senior anti-Islam figure in Britain.
Reports on Tuesday suggested that Tommy Robinson had his visa application rejected a day earlier as he was seeking to meet senior republican lawmakers in Washington this week.
Robinson has previously been hailed by the so-called alt-right camp in the United States for his opposition to Islam. People close to US President Donald Trump once criticized UK authorities for jailing the figure over contempt of the court charges and other convictions. Among his previous convictions was an attempt in 2013 to travel to the US using a passport in someone else’s name.
The far-right figure was released from jail in August apparently under immense pressure from political groups while judges referred his case to the UK Attorney General.
After founding his English Defence League, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, staged several violent demonstrations against Islam in various British cities.
He was planned to deliver a speech against Islam in an event on Wednesday convened by seven conservative Republican members of the US House of Representatives.
The conservative Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum invited Robinson to the Washington. The organization said that US embassy in London had informed Robinson that it “will take a while” for him to be allowed into the US.
Washington’s refusal to grant visa to the controversial figure comes after 55 lawmakers of the British parliament wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that Robinson be banned from visiting the US. The lawmakers said Robinson could use the trip to raise funds for his extremist activities.
The State Department said it was not able to comment on individual visa cases
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