A family say they are “living in fear” after far-right activist Tommy Robinson shared a misleading post of a grandfather playing with his granddaughters, sparking a torrent of abuse and threats.
The video, originally filmed by Natalie Ayeni and posted on TikTok, showed her husband Olajuwon Ayeni, a Yorkshire-based musician, enjoying a day out at the park with his twin granddaughters. She captioned the clip: “Grandad duties with the twins.”
But the video was lifted and reposted to Robinson’s 1.4 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) under the caption: “Wtf is even going on here? Where are the parents?!”
Abuse and threats
The family said the clip’s misrepresentation triggered a wave of harassment, including false accusations that Mr Ayeni was a paedophile.
He was subjected to threats online and in person, and told The Guardian:
“I feel unsafe, scared and sad, as mine and my brother’s lives have been threatened. Someone said they will seek revenge and I’ll never walk again, all for just being in the park with the kids I love on a family day out.”
His wife Natalie said abuse followed them into their community:
“Just after it started to go viral, someone in the local pub recognised Olajuwon immediately. Two lads passed us and said ‘I hope you’re not them off that video or we’re coming back to slash you up’. Someone was shouting ‘paedophile’ outside the house the other night. It feels a matter of time before something bad happens.”
The fallout has even affected Mr Ayeni’s work, with his record management reportedly dropping him following the controversy.
Robinson deletes post
After days of backlash, Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — has now deleted the post.
X’s AI platform Grok confirmed:
“Yes, based on multiple reports and searches, Tommy Robinson has deleted the tweet sharing the video of the grandfather with his granddaughters. The misrepresentation led to threats against the family, who are now in fear.”
Police support
Cleveland Police said officers were providing support to the family. Superintendent Emily Harrison urged social media users not to reshare the video:
“Cleveland Police would also urge social media users to refrain from further sharing either the video or any incorrect information about the people featured.”
Robinson has been contacted for comment.
