LONDON: British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson was freed from prison on Tuesday after winning his plea for early release after being convicted of contempt of court.

The anti-Islam campaigner, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 42, thanked X owner Elon Musk and slammed the UK government in the video titled “Tommy freed from prison” posted on his social media.

The video appeared to be filmed outside Woodhill Prison in southeast England, where Robinson was sentenced to spend 18 months in October. Robinson had breached a court order barring him from repeating false allegations he had made about a Syrian refugee.

He had been due to be released on July 26, but the High Court in London last week heard that he had made a commitment not to repeat the allegations. However, the judge noted that there was an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Robinson.

A day after securing his early release, Robinson was charged for harassment against two men, reported to be Daily Mail journalists. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London on June 5, accused of “harassment causing fear of violence” against the two men.

The former football hooligan who founded the far-right English Defence League in 2009 has repeatedly been convicted for public order and contempt offences. Robinson has amassed a large social media following, including around 1.2 million followers on X, with his vehemently anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

He has been blamed for helping fuel the country’s worst riots in years in 2024, which he denies. Robinson was held apart from other prisoners at the jail due to intelligence that he could be killed by another prisoner.

His lawyers said at an appeal in April that his time in prison and his isolation were “making him ill” and exacerbating his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2025