Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, fled the UK on Sunday night to avoid a court hearing over alleged contempt of court, the High Court was told on Monday. He was due to appear in court accused of breaching an injunction by repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee in a documentary.
Robinson was arrested on Sunday at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone under counter-terrorism powers but was released on unconditional bail. Despite being reminded by police of his court appearance, he left the UK via the Channel tunnel, according to Adam Payter, representing the solicitor general.
Mr Justice Johnson issued a warrant for Robinson's arrest but ordered it not to be executed until early October, allowing time for Robinson to voluntarily attend the next hearing or apply to set aside the warrant. The activist was served legal documents both physically and online advising him of the requirement to attend.
The contempt proceedings relate to Robinson's film Silenced, which repeats false claims about Syrian schoolboy Jamal Hijazi. Robinson lost a libel case brought by Hijazi in 2021 and was ordered never to repeat the falsehoods. Payter described the film as a 'flagrant' and 'admitted' breach of the injunction.
Payter noted that Robinson appeared to be spending significant time abroad, including in Denmark and Canada, and returned to the UK only to publish the film before seeking to leave immediately 'to put himself beyond the reach of this jurisdiction'. The judge said he was satisfied Robinson had been served with the relevant documents.
