Tommy Robinson has thanked his supporters for donating £24,000 so he can get “one of the best legal representatives” for his up-and-coming court case.
“I had accepted the reality that I was going back to jail”, he said in a video addressed to people who gave to the Help Tommy Robinson website. “You’ve given me a fighting chance, and to be honest, I wasn’t even fighting it [before the donations]”.
The organiser of PEGIDA UK and former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) is due in court tomorrow, April 14th, to face a battery charge relating to an incident in Peterborough prison on July 16th 2015.
“I’ve been up against the system for six years, and they can do what they want, and they’ve done what they want”, Mr. Robinson says in the video.
The altercation occurred after he had been imprisoned for alleged mortgage fraud, charges he insists were politically motivated. He says he acted in self defence as he had been deliberately put in a prison “wing full of Muslims” where his “life was in danger” and a bounty put on his head.
When he was released from prison on July 24th 2015, prison authorities decided not to pursue any action over the altercation.
He was then unexpectedly arrested and interviewed regarding the fight in August, released with no further action, and then re-arrested and charged with common assault six months later – two days after he launched the UK branch of PEGIDA.
“This is so blatant police and state collusion because of my political beliefs”, Mr. Robinson tweeted at the time.
“The fact this latest arrest comes days after [the PEGIDA UK launch] is no coincidence. I WILL BE IN BIRMINGHAM ON FEB 6TH”, he added on the social media site.
Mr. Robinson was only held for a short time following a public outcry, and has been present the PEGIDA UK walks on the 6th of February and last weekend. Both events have passed off peacefully, without incident.
The charges have since been reduced to battery, and Mr. Robinson explained in the video that he thinks the hearing will be pushed back as his defence team is still waiting to see important evidence.
It has been claimed in the past that “political policing” has also been used to stop Mr. Robinson attending the Oxford Union debating society and a “Draw Mohammed” cartoon competition.
He said: “If I’d had real legal representation and top QCs for all of my cases I’d never had been done. Everything they did in their previous cases against me went against case law”.
However, this time: “I’m going in with an amazing defence QC”, and, “they’re not going to be able to get away with what they did last time”, he said.
He added: “I know that even if I do end up in prison, I know that there’s money there that’s paying for my defence team”.