Tommy Robinson admits contempt of court after repeating false allegation about Syrian refugee
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has admitted contempt of court after he repeated false allegations about a Syrian refugee schoolboy.
The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, admitted at Woolwich Crown Court to breaching an injunction made after he was successfully sued for libel in 2021.
Those who commit contempt of court can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
A High Court order in 2021 had barred Robinson from repeating libellous allegations against Jamal Hijazi who had successfully sued him for libel.
The Solicitor General issued two contempt claims against Robinson earlier this year, claiming he “knowingly” breached the order on multiple occasions.
Robinson, who founded the far-right English Defence League, appeared in the dock today after being remanded in custody on Friday, wearing a grey suit and waistcoat with no tie.
People outside Woolwich Crown Court as Tommy Robinson admits contempt of court. Pic: PA
At the start of a hearing, Aidan Eardley KC, for the Solicitor General, said a “resolution” had been reached over the allegations, and read them out to the court.
When asked by Mr Justice Johnson whether he accepted he had committed the breaches, Robinson nodded and then replied “yes”.
Lawyers previously told a judge that the breaches included Robinson having “published, caused, authorised or procured” a film titled Silenced, which contained the libellous allegations, in May last year.
The film remains pinned to the top of Robinson’s profile on social media site X, while he also repeated the claims in three interviews between February and June 2023.
What was the initial libel case about?
Mr Hijazi was filmed being attacked at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.
The clip went viral before Robinson claimed in two Facebook videos that the boy was “not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school”.
The boy’s lawyers said the comments had “a devastating effect” on him and his family, who had come to the UK as refugees, forcing them to move home and abandon his education.
Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 in damages and his legal costs, as well as making the injunction preventing Robinson from repeating the allegations he made against the then-teenager.
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Far right pro-UK rally protesters endorsed by Tommy Robinson, demonstrate behind a police line in London on Saturday. Pic: AP
Robinson in custody over weekend
The far-right activist has admitted contempt of court days after he handed himself in at a police station in Folkestone, Kent, on Friday in a separate case.
He was charged with one count of failing to provide the PIN to his mobile phone under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Robinson, who had been due to lead a rally in London on Saturday, was remanded in custody.
Thousands of his supporters gathered in central London for the demonstrate over the weekend despite his absence.
Demonstrators carried placards reading “Two tier Keir fuelled the riots” and chanted “We want Tommy out” as they headed from Victoria station to Parliament Square.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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