British activist jailed for 18 months over libel against Syrian refugee
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A London’s court sentenced on Tuesday British far-right activist Tommy Robinson to 18 months in prison for making libelous claims about a young Syrian refugee.
London’s Woolwich Crown Court sentenced Robinson after admitting to contempt of court. He repeatedly violated a court order by spreading false accusations about a Syrian refugee, according to court documents.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founder of the defunct English Defense League (EDL), was initially found guilty of libel in 2021 for making baseless claims against a Syrian schoolboy who was attacked in Huddersfield in 2018.
Footage of the attack, in which the 15-year-old refugee was taunted and assaulted, went viral on social media. Robinson falsely claimed on social media that the boy had assaulted English girls, later retracting the videos.
After the libel case, Robinson was ordered to pay £100,000 ($130,000) in damages and was prohibited from repeating his claims.
The judge at London’s Woolwich Crown Court condemned Robinson’s actions, underscoring the severity of his violations and imposing the 18-month sentence.