Tommy Robinson Reverts To Type

[Update at end of post]

After the campaign for the European Parliament elections, and the pretence that he was some kind of serious political figure, it has not taken long for Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, to revert to what many people already knew he was like - a bully, a thug, and a dispenser of casual and gratuitous violence.

When England played the Netherlands in a Nations Cup match in the northern Portuguese town of Guimarães yesterday, it was on the back of two nights of bad behaviour by so-called fans in nearby Porto, where the Praça de Liberdade saw bottles thrown at home fans, Police goaded, car windows broken and abusive chanting.

And there at the England match was Lennon, smirking that there was “no banning order in Portugal”. Soon afterwards, in an incident clearly captured on video, he violently assaulted another England supporter, striking him from behind. The remonstrations of the victim and his pals are countered by Lennon and his pals telling his target that he should take his punishment like a good little boy if he doesn’t want more of the same.

So much for The Great Tommy who only wants to have “Polite conversations” with his chosen fall guys, then. But, with the press now reporting on the latest in a long line of Lennon violence, it was then necessary for The Great Man to address his adoring public and tell them that, in fact, it was he who was the real victim.

You think I jest? Sadly not. “I see there’s a video doing the rounds of me” he smiles, before bringing forth the full range of excuses. “I was there with my wife. On four separate occasions things happened, with people trying to be abusive and get aggressive towards me … That man … I’ve already had to tell my wife to move and walk away because he’s come up to me twice being rowdy, in my face, being abusive, being aggressive”.

Bit like Lennon did with the bloke who milkshaked him in Warrington, then. Or the way he called the odds at the cops in that Cambridge pub when they told him he had to leave. Or the way he behaves on folks’ doorsteps in the dead of night. But do go on.

“I said to the man’s friends, keep that man away from me … people get physical with me a lot. I’m not going to wait for him to attack me. Twice I warned him. Twice I warned his friend [but somehow this is missing from the video] … He’s come back, next thing, come back towards me again, you’re the one coming towards me … that’s the context of the video. The man should keep his opinions to himself, and his mouth to himself”.

And he was “walking along” with his wife, except she is also absent from the video. Perhaps that’s because he’s told her to “walk away”. But the upshot is that, for the heinous crimes of “coming towards me in a funny way” and “having an opinion”, Lennon has waded in and violently assaulted someone. Now he expects to get away with it. Again.

He’s now telling anyone who will listen that “I did what I had to do”. No. He didn’t have to do anything. He chose to violently assault someone. But now that the video is out there, perhaps the local cops will do what they have to do. Fair’s fair and all that.

Stephen Lennon is still a violent thug. And the excuses ain’t making it.

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[UPDATE 8 June 1055 hours: the man whom Lennon assaulted has now spoken to the Mirror on condition of anonymity, clearly fearful of reprisals from Lennon's not-at-all-violent-honestly fans.

What caused The Great Man to lose it and punch him - from behind - were the comments "You don’t represent us all, Tommy. You definitely don’t represent me" and "I didn’t think fascists were allowed at the match", which caused Lennon to throw his drink over him.

And for afters, to assault him violently. Hopefully that banning order that Lennon smirked about will be heading his way very soon]