Far-Right Agitator Tommy Robinson will Miss his Own Protest as he’s Arrested Before Major London Rally

UPDATE: Following our report below, Yaxley-Lennon/Robinson was arrested and charged under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, at Folkestone Police Station in Kent around 4pm on Friday. He was bailed but then remanded into custody ahead of appearing before Woolwich Crown Court on Monday (28 October) to deal with a separate contempt of court charge.

Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – aka Tommy Robinson – and his anti-racism opponents believe he is likely to be arrested today (Friday 25 October). 

Robinson posted on X that he was expected to attend Folkestone police station in Kent at 3pm on Friday, ahead of a major demonstration organised by him and allies this Saturday. On X, he said he was “going out with a bang”.

Anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, which monitors the far-right, suggested that the likely arrest relates to refusing to hand over his phone to police when being questioned by police over potential terror offences this July. 

Robinson claimed that he objected due to privileged information being on the device, related to contempt of court proceedings against him currently going through the High Court (Robinson denies wrongdoing). 

In a briefing by Hope Not Hate, the group’s director Nick Lowles said that the arrest was likely to come before the London demonstration on Saturday due to the risk of exacerbating tensions on the day: “From a public order perspective, it’s unlikely any arrest would occur immediately before or after tomorrow’s demonstration.” 

Contacted by Byline Times with questions about the arrest, Robinson responded with a Tweet abusing one of our reporters and urging him to “write what ever you want…”

Saturday’s demonstration in central London is expected to attract tens of thousands of anti-migrant activists. 

Robinson has been imprisoned before for contempt of court. In 2018 he admitted publishing information that could prejudice an ongoing trial, and was jailed for 13 months.

It energised a significant “Free Tommy” movement on the far-right, with some rallies drawing 15,000-18,000 people.

Hope Not Hate belivees Robinson is anticipating a similar response this time, positioning himself as a “martyr for free speech” for continuing to screen a film, ‘Silenced’, which contains libellous claims. The film repeats false allegations he made about a Syrian refugee boy that led to him losing a 2021 libel case, facing enormous damages and subsequently declaring bankruptcy. . 

Hope Not Hate argues that the far-right activist only acknowledged his continued involvement in the film after the Attorney General issued contempt of court proceedings against him this summer.

“He’s convinced his arrest will make him a martyr. The movement is heavily centred around Robinson personally,” Joe Mulhall, HnH director of research told journalists on Friday. 

There are questions about whether a new leader would emerge if Robinson receives a sentence of two years or more. Radicalised actor Laurence Fox might be interested in the position, but “lacks the necessary charisma” Hope Not Hate believes. 

Nick Lowles states: “Unless he can overturn his arrest warrant, he will get [arrested] today, I’m sure of that.”

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Social Media Surge

Robinson’s return to X/Twitter in November 2023, after a ban from the platform, has “catapulted” his influence, Lowles says. 

Upon being allowed back on the platform under billionaire Elon Musk – someone he personally thanked – he had approximately 400,000 followers. He now has over one million. His video ‘Silenced’ has racked up 55 million impressions on the platform. 

Hope Not Hate pointed to internal polling showing that two-thirds of the British population have heard of Robinson – a significant increase from recent years.

Joe Mulhall said: “Crucially, he’s becoming more hardline as his reach expands, rather than moderating his stance. In a recent podcast, he called for 745,000 people to be “rounded up” and expelled from Britain. He’s embracing the “Great Replacement” theory and becoming increasingly conspiratorial. The concern isn’t solely about him – his supporters are adopting this extreme language, and he’s radicalising young people.”

Mulhall argues his rhetoric has grown more extreme in recent weeks: “He’s begun explicitly discussing ‘white Anglo-Saxon’ identity, moving beyond his previous cultural nationalist position. While he touched on these themes during the Black Lives Matter protests, he’s now overtly claiming white Anglo-Saxons are being replaced – an extreme far-right narrative.” 

Robinson recently released a manifesto which HnH believes reveals “deeply conspiratorial thinking” including theories about gold reserves alongside white people being deliberately replaced by ethnic minorities. 

“This presents a dangerous combination: he’s attracting the largest crowds he’s ever managed while becoming increasingly extreme. We could see 30,000-40,000 people on Saturday’s streets hearing great replacement theory – a narrative that typically only draws a few hundred supporters at most,” Mulhall added. 

Several American far-right social media figures are expected at tomorrow’s demonstration. There are also likely to be strong religious – evangelical Christian – undertones.

Robinson has previously sought US asylum and reportedly believes Donald Trump might intervene on his behalf. 

X owner Elon Musk remains his most significant American supporter – during July’s march from the courts to Trafalgar Square, Robinson’s livestream attracted 800,000 concurrent viewers, with him directly crediting Musk for his reach.

He maintains long-standing American connections through the so-called “Counter-Jihad” movement.