London: The United Kingdom’s capital city London, witnessed one of the largest anti-immigration demonstrations in recent years on Saturday. Around 1.5 lakh people came out onto the streets waving Union Jack and St. George’s flags and started marching, raising slogans against the Prime Minister Keir Starmer-led government. Several demonstrators were seen carrying placards with anti-immigration slogans, including “Send Them Home.” Soon the peaceful march became violent when clashes broke out between police and protesters, leaving several officers injured. Amid all the protests, a name that made headlines all over was Tommy Robinson. He was the man who led the massive protests. Let’s know about him.

Who Is Tommy Robinson?

Tommy Robinson’s real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and he spent years in and out of courts and prisons. Organisers of the protest termed it as a free speech protest, which drew one of the largest right-wing crowds the UK has seen in years. Robinson is known for making toxic remarks against immigrants, Islam and Muslims in Britain. He has consistently expressed his dissatisfaction with how the mainstream media of UK and police have treated him.

HIGHLIGHTS

• London witnessed one of the largest anti-immigration rallies in recent years, led by Tommy Robinson.
• Tommy Robinson is a far-right activist known for anti-immigrant and anti-Islam remarks.
• He has been imprisoned several times on charges including assault, mortgage fraud, contempt of court, and violating a High Court order.
• Robinson admitted to losing large sums of money through gambling, was declared bankrupt in 2021.

Despite his prison visits, the 41-year-old maintained his presence on Britain’s political landscape. He founded a group named English Defence League back in 2009, which was defamed for its violent clashes and hooliganism. Tommy was the leader of the group but in 2013 he left the position citing concerns about rising extremism. However, he continued as an online propagandist.

Why Was Tommy Robinson Sent To Prison Multiple Times?

The 41-year-old right wing activist has been convicted with several charges including assault, mortgage fraud, and contempt of court. In 2018, judges sent him to prison for livestreaming a court case. Last year, he was sent to the prison for 18 months for violating a High Court order that barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee.

Did Tommy Robinson Admit To Gambling Losses?

Robinson also faced financial troubles and declared bankruptcy in the year – 2021. He admitted that he lost a large sum of money through gambling. Despite all this, he raised thousands of pounds in donations from supporters.

In 2018, Twitter (now X) banned Robinson, but when Elon Musk took over the micro-blogging site, his account was reinstated. Tommy has over one million followers on X.

Why Elon Musk Is A Fan Of Tommy Robinson?

Unite the Kingdom protest was organised and headed by Robinson. The massive protest attracted 1.5 lakh people who marched on London streets. Robinson described the demonstration as a protest for freedom of expression which had gathered the largest right-wing crowd Britain has seen. World richest man Elon Musk also addressed the protest via livestream on X. He requested the protestors to ‘fight or die’, calling for the dissolution of UK Parliament.