The inability of Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, to keep away from trouble has surfaced once more during another of those incidents that happen outside court precincts that he was supposed to be avoiding. This time, the alleged free speech campaigner - that’s free speech as in free for him, and not for Scary Muslims (tm) - was visiting Leeds, where he fell foul of the law (again).
Lennon’s Facebook page has told the world “BREAKING: Tommy has been arrested outside the court for ‘incitement/breach of the peace’ mid livestream while waiting for the verdict on a grooming gang trial. He is currently in custody and we are contacting his solicitor. Updates to follow”. The video is as predictable as it is hilarious.
“I’m being arrested … can you get me a solicitor” he pleaded, before being told he was being arrested on suspicion of causing a breach of the peace. At this point, he demanded “What does that mean?” as if he didn’t know full well what it meant. There was more. “I’m inciting people? How am I inciting people? This is free speech. This is where we’re at. We’re not even allowed to. Look at it”. Then he goaded the cops.
“Do you feel right that you’re doing it? I haven’t said a word. In fact someone laid a hand and assaulted me outside court. Other people swore at me and threatened me about my mother and here I am being arrested for saying nothing. I’ve done nothing. George, get me a solicitor … I’m on a suspended sentence, you see”. Yes, we do indeed see.
As Far Right Watch has noted, “He's currently on a suspended sentence for the same offense. He could well go down for this”. Well, incitement and breach of the peace are not what he was arrested for last year, after he was caught filming within the precincts of Canterbury Crown Court, but go down for it he certainly could.
When Lennon came up before Judge Heather Norton, this is what she had to say about his “free speech” schtick, and his behaviour. “This is not about free speech or freedom of the press, legitimate journalism or political correctness. This is about justice. It is about being innocent until proven guilty … I find clear evidence of contempt. I take a dim view of your actions. If you commit further offences this sentence will be activated”.
Note “If you commit further offences” - so the clear inference is that any other offence will cause that sentence to be activated. Lennon was given three months’ jail, suspended for 18 months. He has only just passed the two-thirds mark. So any further conviction, whatever sentence is passed, means he goes to jail for the Canterbury incident.
And as the Judge said last year, it’s not about free speech. It’s about Stephen Lennon’s little Wild West Show, which has been allowed to go on for long enough, finally being brought to an end. He could, of course, find a more mainstream way of advancing his career, but the appetite for publicity and adulation has got the better of him.
The media career of Stephen Lennon was for a time, but not for all time.
23 comments:
Who is bankrolling him and his hangers-on?
Noticeable that his 'supporters' are spinning this as an attack on free speech and are in meltdown suggesting he was 'reporting'. He is not a journalist so how can he 'report'? Attention seeker and as we used to say 'rabble rouser'.
Am I a bad person for thinking the image of a banged-up "Robinson" has me rolling on the floor with laughter?
Got 13 months. What a shame.
A pro-Lennon comment has not passed moderation - not because it is pro-Lennon, but because it could render this blog in contempt of court.
Still, details, eh?
Please do not think I have any time for this unpleasant person at all, but can anyone tell me what it was he did that was different from what I used to make a perfectly legitimate living at, which was filming defendants arriving at court?
I filmed Rebecca Brooks 39 times for the BBC (I counted) arriving at the Bailey four years ago and no one arrested me even once.
Was it because it was live-streamed? Was he doing libellous or slanderous voice-overs? Were said defendants defined as protected by the judge? (A Sky News executive once got an eye-watering bollocking from a judge because their crew accidentally did that)
Seriously. Just curious
Is the 13 months confirmed? I'm only seeing this on social media.
Peter Sweden in meltdown, crying wolf when in fact they are being economical with the truth about Tommy's previous conviction and conditions placed upon him by the court.
Odd that - positive comments in favour of Robinson are in contempt of court but negative comments are'nt. Maybe that's the sort of thing he's on about ?
The Poms have lost the plot! Jailed for reporting facts. smh
Damn, UK really turned into a 3rd World hellhole fast. Hard to believe it was once a free country, but I guess there’s a reason we (USA) ran like hell to get outta there...sad, really sad to watch the death of UK and Europe in real time.
I used to travel to UK and Europe for vacation at least once a year. Haven’t been back in over 15 years since last time I was in Paris...it was already turning Muslim then, and already we were warned not to go into non-turist areas of the city by our guide.
Really, that's the best you can come up with? Seriously?
They're potentially in contempt for certain reasons, nothing to do with 'negative' or 'positive' comments.
You're going to have to do better than that to defend the law breaking fascist.
Hah!
We in Britain are a free country. We have objectively more freedom. Your leader (I refuse to call that cretin President) has his own Gestapo, ICE, who disappear people in the night, force them to wear yellow symbols to identify them as other (where have I see that before?) and have seperated thousands of children from their families and lost 1500 of them. Others are going to be put in warehouses (concentration camps.) Where are those children? Your country seems not to care about their freedom. They could be dead in a mass grave for all anyone knows.
You in the USA ran several hundreds years ago, yet so many of you still love our country and want to come here every year.
In your country, NFL athletes are now having their freedom of speech removed from them, and being inducted into forced displays of patriotism. Thousands of black people in your country have had their votes suppressed, and Russia has suppressed your democracy even more with your leader not even bothering to investigate it properly. And children and abortion clinic workers are being shot dead by white supremacist gunmen because you have your freedom to live reduced by the NRA.
Don't talk to us in Britain about freedom, we are objectively more free than yours.
I doubt you've ever been to Britain, and frankly, no one will want you here. Our country has been around far longer than yours and your Constitution and Bill of Rights are based on ours. I won't have some xenophobic upstart attacking Britain without telling you the truth about your unfree nation.
Robinson broke the law. He had already received a conviction, suspended, which means if you commit more crime your sentence goes into effect. He was given leniency; he broke those conditions and therefore is going to jail. We have the rule of law here in the UK. You break the law, you face consequences. Them's the rules, and a good thing too. We don't want to be a lawless place here.
Much like Trump's lawbreaking will catch up with him. Mueller's coming.
These 'Poms' are your betters, son.
Funny though. For a man who claims to have such support in Britain, it only ever seems to be people from abroad posting these trolling comments about the case.
He was jailed for breaking the conditions of his suspended sentence, and was trying to affect the outcome of ongoing trials. He was given leniency last time and abused it, so now goes to jail. You may not have rule of law wherever you hail from, but we do.
Hard to say, your Anonymous. But laughing at others misfortune isn’t a good trait, so your probably an arsehole.
No it was because they want to silence him.
If you or me had done the very same thing nothing would have been said or done.
So how was he committing an offence to be arrested ?
And how do you know he is unpleasant? Have you met him? Or are you judging him on his press?
These poms are your betters son ?? How pompous is that! How superior you must be.
And how is standing outside court affecting the outcome? The trial was over, they were there for the verdict. If it was anyone else nothing would have been said or done.
You my son are biased
BS is it a free country. Your deluded my son.
Open your eyes and see what’s going on you blinkered fool.
It isn't pompous, Tone. It is true.
He was breaking the law through contempt of court. It is the law. You get arrested for breaking the law. He got arrested for breaking the law, Tone.
If you don't understand the charges, read the laws. I'm not doing your work for you.
I'm biased towards following the law. You're hopelessly biased towards letting people break the law whenever they want if they're called Tommy Robinson and you like them.
Exactly, it is foolish to believe Britain isn't a free country. Tommy was arrested for breaking the law, and breaking his suspended sentence conditions.
Good call.
Because there is a media block on the case he's reporting on. The case is ongoing, even if he thinks it's nearly finished. No media would be allowed to broadcast similar footage. I'm assuming that the footage you shot was never for a court case that was under a media blackout, or that it was never subsequently shown, or that the BBC are actually careful enough to edit around any restricted details.
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