Far-right activist Tommy Robinson fled Britain on Sunday night to avoid a court appearance over alleged contempt proceedings, a High Court hearing was told. The activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone by police using counter-terrorism powers but was released on unconditional bail.
Mr Justice Johnson issued a warrant for Robinson's arrest but ordered that it not be carried out until early October to allow him time to indicate he would attend the next hearing voluntarily or apply to set aside the warrant. Robinson was due to appear in court on Monday accused of contempt for making a documentary, Silenced, which repeats false claims about a Syrian refugee that led to him losing a libel case in 2021.
The hearing was told by Adam Payter, representing the solicitor general, that Robinson was reminded by police on Sunday night of his court obligation but nevertheless left the UK via the Channel tunnel. Payter said Robinson sought to leave “to put himself beyond the reach of this jurisdiction” after publishing the film.
Robinson was detained under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at the port and later arrested for frustration of a Schedule 7 examination, but was released at 10pm and travelled onwards across the Channel. The judge noted that Robinson was explicitly reminded of the hearing before leaving.
Payter told the court that Robinson was part of a large demonstration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, where he played the film on a big screen. The film had a new foreword narrated by Robinson standing outside the High Court, referring to the injunction, which Payter described as a “flagrant” and “admitted” breach.
Payter added that Robinson appeared to have spent significant time outside the UK recently, including in Denmark and Canada, and returned only to publish the film before attempting to leave. The court was satisfied that Robinson had been served with legal documents advising him of the hearing.
