Tommy Robinson (English Defence League)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon also known by the pseudonym
Tommy Robinson, is the founder, spokesman and leader of the far-right anti-Islamist EDL
street protest movement. He emerged as the leader of the EDL in 2009.
to Irish parents. Lennon married in 2011 and is the father of three children. According to the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight
, he lives in Wilstead
, a village on the outskirts of Bedford
. According to him, his family is under 24-hour police protection due to "Muslim
extremists" threatening to behead his family, and he wears protection when appearing in public. Lennon is the owner of a sunbed shop in Luton.
football hooligan crew, an author of two books in 2006 and 2007 giving an inside perspective of his own life and those around him. Lennon was involved in the group United Peoples of Luton,formed in response to a March 2008 protest against Royal Anglian Regiment
troops returning from the Afghan War
organised by the Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun
and including members of the group Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah
. in 2008. In August 2009, he became the leading figure of the newly established English Defence League
, after emerging victorious from a factional dispute. He appeared masked in public at first, until the Sunday Mercury
newspaper managed to photograph his face in April 2010.
occasioning actual bodily harm
and assault with intent to resist arrest while his partner was cautioned for possession of cocaine
.
In November 2010 he was charged with assaulting a police officer after confronting a poppy burning by Islamists by jumping over a barrier, but this charge was later dropped. In July 2011 he was convicted of 'using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour' while leading a group of Luton Town
supporters in a fight against Newport County
fans.
Lennon was arrested after an EDL demonstration in Tower Hamlets
on 3 September 2011 for breach of bail conditions, as he had been banned from attending the demonstration. After his arrest, Lennon began a hunger strike
in custody in Bedford Prison
, claiming to be a "political prisoner of the state", and refused to eat halal meat. However, his hunger strike only lasted 24 hours and then he gave up. Dozens of EDL supporters protested outside the prison in support of Lennon during his incarceration, peaking in a turnout of 100 protesters on 10 September. Lennon was released from prison on 12 September.
On 29 September 2011 he was convicted of common assault
after headbutt
ing a fellow EDL member at a rally in Blackburn in April that year. The judge stated that a custodial sentence could not be ruled out.
On 8 November 2011, Tommy Robinson held a protest against the ban on wearing a poppy for the England team on the rooftop of the FIFA
building in Zurich
. As a result, he was fined £3000 and jailed for three days.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Tommy Robinson, is the founder, spokesman and leader of the far-right anti-Islamist EDL
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
street protest movement. He emerged as the leader of the EDL in 2009.
Life
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was born in LutonLuton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
to Irish parents. Lennon married in 2011 and is the father of three children. According to the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight
Searchlight (magazine)
Searchlight is a British anti-fascist magazine, founded in 1975 by Gerry Gable, which publishes exposés about racism, antisemitism, and fascism in the UK....
, he lives in Wilstead
Wilstead
.Wilstead is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, just off the A6 Bedford to Luton road, about five miles south of Bedford town centre, and within the Borough of Bedford. The name of the village has been spelled in many different ways, including Wilshamstead, Wylhamstead, and...
, a village on the outskirts of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
. According to him, his family is under 24-hour police protection due to "Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
extremists" threatening to behead his family, and he wears protection when appearing in public. Lennon is the owner of a sunbed shop in Luton.
Tommy Robinson
Around the year 2001, he was active in the local hooligan scene. He then appeared under the pseudonym Tommy Robinson. The alias Tommy Robinson comes from the leader of the Luton Town "Men In Gear" (MIG)Luton Town MIGs
The MIGs are a football hooligan firm associated with English football club, Luton Town, originally formed in the 1970s.-Background:...
football hooligan crew, an author of two books in 2006 and 2007 giving an inside perspective of his own life and those around him. Lennon was involved in the group United Peoples of Luton,formed in response to a March 2008 protest against Royal Anglian Regiment
Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
troops returning from the Afghan War
Helmand province campaign
The Helmand province campaign is a series of military operations conducted by ISAF forces against Taliban insurgents in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan...
organised by the Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
and including members of the group Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (organisation)
For the Islamic Muslim Arabic term see Ahlus Sunnah wal JamaahAhlus Sunnah wal Jamaah is an Islamic organisation operating in the United Kingdom, intended to be a successor to the banned Al-Muhajiroun organisation. Founded in November 2005 in north London, its head is "Simon" Sulayman Keeler...
. in 2008. In August 2009, he became the leading figure of the newly established English Defence League
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
, after emerging victorious from a factional dispute. He appeared masked in public at first, until the Sunday Mercury
Sunday Mercury
Sunday Mercury is a Sunday tabloid published in Birmingham, UK, and owned by Trinity Mirror.The first editor was John Turner Fearon , who left the Dublin-based Freeman's Journal to take up the position...
newspaper managed to photograph his face in April 2010.
Arrests
Searchlight identified Tommy Robinson as Lennon, and claimed that he served a twelve months prison sentence for assaulting an off-duty police officer who intervened to stop a domestic incident between Yaxley-Lennon and his partner Jenna Vowles. He was convicted on 18 April 2005 for assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
occasioning actual bodily harm
Actual bodily harm
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and the Solomon Islands...
and assault with intent to resist arrest while his partner was cautioned for possession of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
In November 2010 he was charged with assaulting a police officer after confronting a poppy burning by Islamists by jumping over a barrier, but this charge was later dropped. In July 2011 he was convicted of 'using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour' while leading a group of Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
supporters in a fight against Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
fans.
Lennon was arrested after an EDL demonstration in Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
on 3 September 2011 for breach of bail conditions, as he had been banned from attending the demonstration. After his arrest, Lennon began a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in custody in Bedford Prison
Bedford (HM Prison)
HMP Bedford is a Category B men's prison, located in the Harpur area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, claiming to be a "political prisoner of the state", and refused to eat halal meat. However, his hunger strike only lasted 24 hours and then he gave up. Dozens of EDL supporters protested outside the prison in support of Lennon during his incarceration, peaking in a turnout of 100 protesters on 10 September. Lennon was released from prison on 12 September.
On 29 September 2011 he was convicted of common assault
Common assault
Common assault was an offence under the common law of England, and has been held now to be a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is committed by a person who causes another person to apprehend the immediate use of unlawful violence by the defendant. It was thought to include battery...
after headbutt
Headbutt
A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
ing a fellow EDL member at a rally in Blackburn in April that year. The judge stated that a custodial sentence could not be ruled out.
On 8 November 2011, Tommy Robinson held a protest against the ban on wearing a poppy for the England team on the rooftop of the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
building in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. As a result, he was fined £3000 and jailed for three days.