British far-right activist Tommy Robinson cleared of terror charge after not giving police phone access
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was cleared on Tuesday of committing an offence under British counterterrorism laws after refusing to give police his phone’s passcode during a July 2024 border stop.
Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is one of Britain’s most high-profile anti-immigration campaigners, and has become a flag-bearer for some British nationalists.
He was stopped by police in July 2024 as he drove through border security at the Channel Tunnel train terminal in southeast England.
At a trial last month, prosecutors told London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court that an officer had become suspicious because of Robinson’s demeanor, the fact that he was driving a high-value vehicle — a friend’s silver Bentley — and that he was heading to Benidorm, in southern Spain, having only bought a ticket that day.
The officer and colleagues seized Robinson’s phone and asked him to provide the passcode to unlock it. He refused, saying he was a journalist and that it contained privileged material.
In giving his verdict on Tuesday, Judge Sam Goozee said it appeared the police had detained Robinson because of his political views and so the decision to stop him was unlawful.
Tommy Robinson has been accused of using online misinformation to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment, like what was seen at anger-filled riots across the U.K. this week. CBC’s Thomas Daigle has been reporting on the prominent far-right provocateur for years and breaks down Robinson’s motivations and influence.
After the verdict, Robinson thanked billionaire Elon Musk, who he said funded his defence.
“First of all, thank you, Elon Musk … why has it taken an American businessman to fight for our justice here and our fight against terrorism charges for journalists?” Robinson said outside court.
Musk often reposts Robinson’s messages on X and appeared by video link at a recent rally in London attended by about 150,000 people that Robinson organized.
Robinson has said he was targeted by the state for exposing wrongdoing, but he is denounced by critics as being a far-right rabble-rouser with a string of criminal convictions.
“I’m so glad that [a] judge has given such a powerful judgment now that says it how it was: I was targeted because of my political beliefs,” Robinson said. “On behalf of the government, counterterrorism [police] targeted me to try and get access to my phone as a journalist.”
