A fresh contempt of court application has been lodged against Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, for allegedly breaching a High Court order from 2021. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) confirmed the new legal action, citing six instances between June and July this year where Robinson was accused of violating an injunction.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, lost a 2021 legal battle against Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi, who successfully sued him for libel. The High Court order barred Robinson from repeating libellous allegations he made against Mr Hijazi after a video went viral showing the schoolboy being assaulted by another pupil at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield in 2018. Robinson falsely accused Hijazi of attacking girls at the school, leading to the libel case in which he was ordered to pay £100,000 in damages and cover legal costs.
The AGO stated that the latest contempt application was served to Robinson on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, following its submission on August 19. The Solicitor General, Sarah Sackman, has spearheaded this application, which follows a previous contempt application regarding other alleged breaches of the 2021 order.
Robinson, 31, was earlier reported to have left the country after allegedly committing “flagrant” contempt of court by showing a film titled Silenced at a protest in central London. The film was shown again at a Trafalgar Square demonstration in July this year, which is understood to be part of the second contempt application. Robinson is also accused of repeating the prohibited allegations in three interviews between February and June 2023.
Robinson’s disappearance led to a court hearing in London last month, where Mr Justice Johnson issued a warrant for his arrest. However, the judge ruled that the warrant would not be enforced until October to allow Robinson time to voluntarily attend the next hearing or apply to have the warrant set aside.
Robinson has a history of contempt of court charges. In 2018, he was jailed after live-streaming footage of men accused of sexually exploiting young girls outside Leeds Crown Court, in violation of a reporting ban. Although his initial conviction was overturned, he was jailed again in 2019 following further legal proceedings.
The hearing for the latest contempt applications is set for October 28. Robinson’s continued legal troubles have sparked protests from his supporters, with recent demonstrations outside Downing Street demanding his release.
