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Thames Valley Police has denied screening attendees at Wednesday’s controversial Oxford Union debate on whether the West should be “suspicious of Islam” – which will host the far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (known as Tommy Robinson).
A former senior official had claimed that Thames Valley Police would be conducting security checks on attendees, which had not been denied by the Union, telling this outlet: “[The Oxford Union] are selecting which members will go in ahead of time…
“They said you must apply for a ticket. You will be issued a ticket because of security reasons, and you will not be admitted if you have not been issued a ticket, even if you are a member…This is [based on] screening done by Thames Valley Police…That is extraordinary.”
They suggested background checks will be conducted on attendees without their knowledge. It was not explicitly denied by the Union, however after this article’s publication, Thames Valley Police said on 18th June that the claim was untrue and that entry arrangements were managed by the Union, not the police.
Several streets will be closed surrounding the event, amid protests and a tense atmosphere in the local community. The closed streets include pubs which were hoping for a bumper night on what is the England football team’s first World Cup game.
One pub affected, The Jolly Farmers, posted a plea to organisers earlier this week, calling on them to cancel the event.
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The venue’s team wrote on Facebook: “Could you explain please, in the light of recent violent activity in cities across our country, why you still feel it appropriate to go ahead with the Debate on Wednesday evening which includes, at your invitation, Tommy Robinson? The right to debate issues and the right to free speech are, of course, sacrosanct, but the ensuing chaos and trouble that is believed to be heading to this beautiful, welcoming, world city of Oxford is surely reason alone to rescind the invite…
“Pubs are deciding to close for the day. Businesses are boarding up windows. The Police are visiting venues with warnings of risk.
“Businesses are going to suffer. Communities are going to suffer. Our reputation as a city is going to suffer.
“We respectfully ask you to rescind this invitation and show true leadership and a duty of care to the city you call home.”
Another pub affected, The White Rabbit, posted on Instagram and on its door: “Dear customers, due to the expected unrest in Oxford city centre this Wednesday 17th June, and in solidarity with other independent businesses, we will be closed from 3.30pm. This is to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. We are really sorry.”
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They called it a “difficult decision”, adding: “We hope everyone in Oxford stays safe this Wednesday.”
Local Lib Dem MP Layla Moran has also come out to condemn the event, writing on Tuesday that the event “has caused deep concern across Oxfordshire.”
“At a time when many communities are already feeling vulnerable, inflammatory rhetoric risks increasing fear, division and hostility towards people who simply want to live safely and contribute to the places they call home. Our first priority is to stand in solidarity with those communities who have been targeted or made to feel unwelcome.
“Oxfordshire is strongest when it is inclusive, respectful and united, and we must all play our part in protecting those values.”
But the union’s president, Arwa Elrayess, a Palestinian woman, has been resolute in pushing for the event to go ahead, on the grounds of free speech, despite facing a no confidence motion earlier this month, which failed.
She is understood to defend the event partly on the basis that Robinson previously addressed the Oxford Union in 2016, in a format that effectively allowed him to give largely-interrupted monologue. However, this was before a string of subsequent convictions for the anti-Islam activist.
The event is also proceeding in spite of Robinson’s devices being seized under counter-terrorism legislation on his return from Moscow last week, where he met Elon Musk’s father, Errol, and pledged from Russia to cause “trouble” in Britain.
Robinson has been strongly condemned for promoting anti-migrant protests across the UK, which turned violent in Belfast during two nights of racist rioting, with dozens of arson attacks on homes, cars and businesses.
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The Union’s Response
Responding to a series of detailed questions by Byline Times, a spokesperson for the Oxford Union – run by students as one of the world’s most prestigious debating societies – did not deny the claim that attendees were being vetted by Thames Valley Police, saying only that the police had no role “allocating tickets or in drawing up the lists of attendees.” That s