In the UK, he is considered one of the leaders of the violent far-right rioters. During the recent demonstrations, his name was chanted. Although he no longer has any official role, his influence remains significant on the streets and on social networks.
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Behind his screen, under the Cypriot sun, the 41-year-old is causing trouble in the United Kingdom. No digital detox for Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon). He is on vacation but, almost openly, justifies the riots that have been affecting the United Kingdom since July 29 to his 900,000 subscribers on X, with dozens of tweets per day.
His X account, which was previously deleted, was reinstated last year by the platform’s CEO, Elon Musk. The two men regularly interact on the same topics. Tommy Robinson often posts fake news there, claiming to re-establish truths hidden by traditional media.
For the British, he is one of the figures of the Islamophobic and anti-immigration radical right. It was he who, in 2009, partly founded the EDL movement, English Defence League, which has been singled out by the authorities since the start of the riots. A candidate in the 2019 European elections in a constituency in north-west England, he failed to get elected in a campaign marred by violence. Today, he is no longer part of any political party.
The son of Irish migrants, Tommy Robinson regularly organises anti-migrant protests. He has been convicted several times for violence and hooliganism. Under arrest warrant since late July for failing to appear in court, he has accused the Daily Mail for disclosing his location in Cyprus.
