Tommy Robinson has been sentenced to 18 months after admitting to contempt of court for repeating allegations about a Syrian refugee that had been previously ruled libellous by a court.
Robinson, who rose to prominence by highlighting the scourge of mostly Muslim grooming gangs sexually preying on young girls in England, admitted to repeating claims about Syrian Jamal Hijazi ten times between 2023 and 2024, according to The Telegraph.
As previously reported:
The case stemmed from a 2018 incident in which the Syrian refugee schoolboy was filmed being attacked by other pupils at the Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Following outrage over the incident, Robinson had claimed that Hijazi was “not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school”.
Hijazi was awarded £100,000 in compensation from Robinson after a court found the statements to be libellous and unfounded.
On Monday, Robinson admitted to repeating the claims during six online interviews, including one with Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson earlier this year, as well as four times in his documentary film Silenced, which is still pinned to his profile on X.
The prosecutor in the case, Aidan Eardley KC told the court, “This is not a case about Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s political views. It is not even directly a case about freedom of expression.
“It is a case about the disobedience to a court order, and the undermining of the rule of law that goes with that.”
Sentencing the activist, the judge said: “Nobody is above the law… Nobody can pick and choose which laws and injunctions they obey and which they do not.”
“The breaches were not accidental or negligent or merely reckless. Each breach was a considered and planned and deliberate and direct and flagrant breach of the court’s order in disregard of the claimant’s rights.”
Representing Robinson, Sasha Wass KC argued that the case is about freedom of speech, arguing that “the defendant believes that the public is entitled to have all the information, not merely that provided by the mainstream media, so the public can make up its own mind.
“Having said all of that, he accepts the breaches as set out but wants me to make clear on his behalf that at all times he was following his principles.”
Wass also called for a reduction in the sentence, given his willingness to plead guilty and the likelihood that he will once again need to be placed in solitary confinement, as other prisoners may seek to harm the anti-grooming gang activist. She said that Robinson’s previous time behind bars, during which he was held in solitary, had a severe impact on his mental health.
Robinson is also facing further charges. As previously reported:
In addition to the current contempt of court case, Robinson also faces terrorism charges for “failing to provide the PIN to his mobile phone”.
Under legislation passed under the left-wing Tony Blair administration, authorities can demand that anyone passing through a British port hand over electronic devices “to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”
His arrest and detention on Friday meant that Robinson could not attend a large rally in London on Saturday, in which his supporters decried the charges facing the activist, the state of free speech in modern Britain, and alleging that there is a “two-tier” form of justice in the country.