UK far-right Islamophobe to face contempt proceedings
UK’s attorney general says Tommy Robinson, known as the most controversial anti-Islam figure in Britain, should face contempt of court proceedings despite efforts to have the long-running charges against him quashed.
Geoffrey Cox said on Thursday that the case of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, would be referred to Britain’s High Court as a matter of public interest.
“After carefully considering the details of this case, I have concluded there are strong grounds to bring fresh contempt of court proceedings against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon,” said Cox, insisting that he was acting independently of government and it position on Robinson.
Robinson has staged various demonstrations and campaigns against Muslims over the past few years. Convicted several times for other charges, he was arrested last year after staging a live video broadcast of a protest in front of a court in London.
The notorious Islamophobe, who enjoys close relations to some senior politicians both in his country and in the US, was later released with judges saying the attorney general should decide whether to continue proceedings against him or not.
Cox warned Robinson and allies that they should refrain from commenting on the case while proceedings continue.
“As proceedings are now underway, it would not be appropriate to comment further and I remind everyone that it is an offence to comment on live court cases,” said the top government lawyer.
After appealing against his initial sentence, Robinson managed to get onboard the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) by becoming a high-ranking advisor to the party’s leadership. The move sparked furious reactions, especially from UKIP founder Nigel Farage who resigned following the appointment.
Robinson has also sparked controversy by his online activities. In an announcement last month, American social media giant Facebook said it had completely banned the anti-Islam figure from its platforms because he was openly preaching hate. Other organizations like Twitter and Paypal have also removed Robinson while his page on Youtube is subject to partial restrictions.
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