Who is Tommy Robinson? Far-right activist behind London's massive rally

New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 14, 2025 03:06 IST

Tommy Robinson has spent years in and out of courtrooms and prisons, but on Saturday he was back where he thrives — at the centre of a mass protest.

More than 100,000 people marched through central London in a “Unite the Kingdom” rally spearheaded by Robinson. Organisers billed the event as a free speech protest, and it drew one of the largest right-wing crowds Britain has seen in years.

Demonstrators carried Union Jacks, St George’s flags and wooden crosses. Chants in support of Robinson rang out, alongside crude slogans directed at Labour leader Keir Starmer. Police said there were scuffles, assaults and attempts to breach barriers separating Robinson’s supporters from a 5,000-strong counter-march organised by Stand Up To Racism.

Robinson, 41, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has long built his career on anger. He has admitted to being angry at Islam and migration into Britain, angry at the BBC and mainstream media, angry at the way police have treated him. He has also confessed to squandering donations on drink, alcohol and partying, even while asking for financial support.

Despite repeated legal setbacks, Robinson remains a fixture in Britain’s political landscape. He founded the English Defence League in 2009, a street movement that often turned confrontational. The group quickly became associated with violent clashes and links to football hooliganism. Robinson stepped down as leader in 2013, citing concerns about rising extremism, but he continued as an activist and online campaigner.

His criminal record is extensive: assault, mortgage fraud and multiple contempt of court convictions. In 2018, he was jailed for livestreaming outside a trial. In 2024, he received an 18-month sentence for breaching a High Court order barring him from repeating libellous claims about a Syrian refugee. A judge described his actions as a “deliberate and flagrant breach of the court’s orders,” adding Robinson showed no remorse.

Financial problems have followed him too. Declaring bankruptcy in 2021, Robinson admitted gambling away large sums even as he took in thousands of pounds in donations from followers.

Still, his reach is undeniable. Banned from Twitter in 2018, he was reinstated under Elon Musk and now commands more than one million followers on X. For critics, he is a provocateur who fuels division. For supporters, a champion of free speech and patriotism.

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With inputs from Associated Press