Two days after launching the UK branch of pan-European anti-Islamisation movement PEGIDA, Tommy Robinson has been arrested and charged with an assault allegedly committed in prison in 2014. Documents confirm police dropped the case in October 2015.
“The police told my solicitors I was going to be charged with battery. I was told this allegation was dropped and then two days after the Pegida UK press conference they say I’m going to be charged”, the former English Defence League (EDL) leader told the IB Times tonight.
Continuing: “Whatever this is all about, it’s a complete fabrication. It’s all to do with that press conference. The amount of stupid things they’ve arrested me for in the past, it’s ridiculous.”
“This is so blatant police & state collusion because of my political beliefs”, Mr. Robinson tweeted tonight. “How can you drop the case & then months later decide to come back & charge me @bedspolice it’s embarrassing how blatant this is” he added.
“The state persecution continues. Police have contacted me telling me I have 2 hand myself in 2 face charges. I’ll make video of details later”, he promised on the social media site.
Mr. Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 32, confessed to involvement in an altercation when detained for alleged mortgage fraud in July. He has since claimed in his book that the fraud charges are spurious, and his arrest was politically motivated.
He claims he was deliberately put in danger by police when in jail, and was acting in self-defence as there was a bounty on his head and a muslim man was planning to attack him with boiling water.
According to his story, the man he attacked was a Somalian Muslim, who has claimed Mr. Robinson called him a “Paki.” The police then charged Mr. Robinson with racially aggravated assault.
“I have been bailed on a racially aggravated assault. Yes I did hit a Somalian in prison cos he was gonna do me with boiling water,” tweeted Robinson in August regarding the altercation.
Continuing: “I was put in a position where my life was in danger with Muslim murderers planning how they would get me. It went down on my terms not theirs.” Adding: “Because I again avoiding serious harm the police are pursuing a case against me in order to put me back in prison & ultimately be killed.”
An email seen by IB Times tonight confirms Cambridgeshire Police, who investigated the allegations, had indeed originally decided to take no further action against Robinson back in October.
Tonight Mr. Robinson described the timing of police’s change of direction as “suspicious” and claimed it amounted to “state persecution” for his political activity.
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said it was against policy to confirm whether an individual was due to be charged, instead saying:
“A 33-year-old man from Wilstead was arrested on suspicion of common assault in August, and is due to return on bail to Luton Police Station on 12 January.”