World Courant
American billionaire Elon Musk just isn’t content material with campaigning for newly elected US President Donald Trump and urging Germans to vote for the far-right political get together Various for Germany (AfD) within the upcoming elections. in addition to with a web-based marketing campaign to free Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist, from jail.
Here is extra about Robinson, who’s at present serving a jail sentence for breach of an order, however has additionally beforehand been jailed for assault and contempt of courtroom:
What did Musk say about Tommy Robinson?
Musk, who was not too long ago appointed particular adviser by Trump, posted a number of instances on his X account on Wednesday and Thursday stating that Robinson, a infamous far-right activist who campaigns in opposition to immigration and Islam, “needs to be launched from jail ‘.
Free Tommy Robinson!@TRobinsonNewEra
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
In one other put up he wrote: “Why is Tommy Robinson in solitary confinement for telling the reality?”
Why is Tommy Robinson in solitary confinement for telling the reality?
He have to be launched and those that lined up this travesty should take his place in that cell.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
Who’s Tommy Robinson and why is he in jail?
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who goes by the title Tommy Robinson, 42, is at present serving an 18-month jail sentence after admitting contempt of courtroom in a defamation case involving a Syrian refugee schoolboy, Jamal Hijazi.
A video of 15-year-old Hijazi being attacked by one other teenager at a faculty in Almondbury, Yorkshire in northern England went viral in Britain in October 2018.
Robinson posted movies to his Fb account in response, claiming Hijazi had attacked “younger English ladies” and threatened to stab a boy in school, allegations Hijazi denied.
These movies, seen by practically 1,000,000 individuals, led to dying threats in opposition to Hijazi and his household.
The Supreme Court docket dominated in 2021 that Robinson had defamed Hijazi and ordered him to pay 100,000 kilos ($124,000) in damages. The choose additionally imposed an order stopping him from repeating the claims.
Nonetheless, in February 2023, Robinson started repeating the claims and made a documentary that he posted to his X account, claiming that he had been “silenced by the state.” In July 2024 he confirmed this documentary to viewers in Trafalgar Sq. in London.
He was sentenced to 18 months in jail at Woolwich Crown Court docket in October 2024 after admitting breaching the 2021 order.
His documentary, titled “Silence,” continues to be on X and has been seen 146.2 million instances as of Friday. It has been retweeted by about 101,000 individuals, together with Musk.
Robinson was banned from X, then referred to as Twitter, in 2018. Nonetheless, he was allowed to return to the platform in 2018 when Musk purchased it. Robinson now has greater than 1,000,000 followers on X.
Up to now, Robinson has been jailed for assault (2005), mortgage fraud (2014) and contempt of courtroom (2024).
In 2019, he was sentenced to 9 months in jail for contempt of courtroom after importing a video to Fb that includes suspects in a felony trial. The trial concerned a gang of alleged intercourse offenders accused of abusing younger ladies.
He based the far-right Islamophobic group, English Protection Leaguein June 2009. It organized violent demonstrations in opposition to Islam and was lively till about 2013.
Why has Musk thrown his assist behind Robinson?
Musk’s messages in assist of Robinson come within the wake of a long-running scandal over grooming gangs in Britain, which Musk claims Robinson tried to blow the whistle on.
In June 2022, an impartial investigation discovered that the police and council had failed to stop the sexual exploitation of younger ladies by gangs in Oldham, northern England. The evaluation recognized a number of choices to cease the 2005 abuse.
In July 2024, political leaders in Oldham Council known as on the federal government to research youngster intercourse abuse within the metropolis by ‘grooming gangs’.
However in October 2024, Dwelling Secretary Jess Phillips rejected the council’s request, saying it ought to conduct its personal investigation.
On Wednesday, the right-wing British newspaper GB Information reported on this, blaming the Labor Get together, which got here to energy in July in a landslide election that dethroned the Conservative Get together after 14 years of rule, for its inaction within the face of grooming gangs. The report was amplified by Musk and by conservative leaders in Britain.
Musk posted on his X account that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had didn’t prosecute youngster molesters when he was director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013. He additionally posted on X on Friday: “Jess Philips is an apologist for genocide.”
Musk’s posts in assist of Robinson come amid a wave of his posts in assist of European right-wing figures on-line. On the finish of December he wrote an opinion piece in assist of the German right-wing get together AfD. He has additionally backed Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK get together and Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Well being Minister Wes Streeting stated Musk’s views are “misjudged and ill-informed.”
“Musk’s assist, not just for Tommy Robinson, but in addition for the AfD in Germany, reveals how massive an issue he’s for democracy and for the repute of those that affiliate with him, akin to Nigel Farage and Liz Truss,” stated Labor MP Stella Creasy. informed Politico.
In December, Farage met Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. On Thursday, Musk posted on X: “Solely reforms can save Britain.”
Solely reforms can save Britain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
In 2018, Farage resigned from the UK Independence Get together (UKIP) after chief Gerard Batten appointed Robinson as an official adviser.
Reform chairman Zia Yusuf can be Muslim. Farage has not but publicly responded to Musk’s latest posts about Robinson.
Who’s Tommy Robinson and why is Elon Musk throwing his weight behind him? | The far-right information
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