Trump's ambassador lobbied Britain on behalf of jailed right-wing activist Tommy Robinson

By Mark Hosenball

 

English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London September 11, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Winning/Files

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, complained to the British ambassador in Washington D.C. about the treatment of an English right-wing activist who is in jail for disrupting a trial, according to three sources familiar with the discussion.

 

Brownback raised the case of the activist known as Tommy Robinson in a June meeting with Sir Kim Darroch, Britain's Ambassador to the United States, according to a British official and two sources close to the organizers of a pro-Robinson demonstration planned for London on Saturday.

 

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, though he also uses other aliases, is a founder of the English Defense League, which has organized violent demonstrations against Islamic immigrants in the UK in the past decade. More recently, Robinson has branded himself a journalist and campaigner against Islamic extremism, a move that won him contacts with American anti-Muslim activists.

 

Robinson was arrested in late May outside a courthouse in Leeds, England, while making video recordings about a trial related to child molestation and jailed for 13 months for violating English law limiting publicity during criminal trials.

 

Brownback raised the jailing of Robinson during a meeting with Darroch that covered a range of "religious freedom issues", the British official confirmed earlier this week.

 

Brownback told Darroch that if Britain did not treat Robinson more sympathetically, the Trump administration might be compelled to criticize Britain's handling of the case, according to the two sources in contact with organizers of the planned pro-Robinson demonstration.

 

The sources said Robinson's supporters, who have also been in touch with the Trump administration about the issue, were concerned that he could be attacked by other prisoners.

 

Reuters was unable to determine why the top U.S. official responsible for defending religious freedom would try to intervene with the British government on behalf of an activist who has expressed ant-Islamic views.

 

Brownback, who is a former governor of Kansas and former U.S. senator, was not available for comment. However, on Thursday a U.S. State Department spokesman said the "characterizations" of Brownback's meeting with Darroch by Reuters sources were "completely false" but the spokesman did not elaborate further.

 

The British Embassy had no comment on further details of the discussion.

 

Last week, the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia group, said it was sponsoring and organizing a "Free Tommy Robinson" demonstration in London near the British Parliament on Saturday in collaboration with British and European groups.

 

The event was expected to merge with a demonstration in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, who appointed Brownback, according to the British newspaper The Independent.

 

Demonstration organizers said in a leaflet which circulated in London this week that Republican U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar and Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders were scheduled to speak at its rally. U.S. Congressman Gosar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

But Wilders tweeted on Thursday that he would not attend the rally because the U.K. Ambassador to the Netherlands, Peter Williams, told Dutch authorities Britain would not provide security for him.

 

British police said they were imposing restrictions on the event to "prevent serious disruptions" after protesters at a previous event made Nazi salutes and threw bottles at officers.

 

A spokesman for Hope Not Hate, a British anti-racism group, said, "In the week President Trump comes to the UK, his hand-picked diplomat allying himself with a far-right convicted fraudster perhaps shouldn't be too much of a shock."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-14

If they want him in the US they are welcome to him.

Why would the US be poking their nose into the affairs of UK citizen carrying out his criminal acts in the UK?

Why would the White House even be contemplating lobbying on behalf of a convicted mortgage fraudster, wife beater and racist who has been rightly imprisoned for breaking the law by knowingly endangering the integrity of an ongoing trial, unless it is to continue their pandering to alt-right racists and fascists?

 

 

isnt the british minister of interior muslim ??? who had robinson transferred to  a prision with mainly muslim inmates, wasn't a " fatwa" issued by an islam cleric demanding robinsons killing  just when robinson was changing prison ?? all too obvious 

 

wbr

roobaa01

6 minutes ago, roobaa01 said:

isnt the british minister of interior muslim ??? who had robinson transferred to  a prision with mainly muslim inmates, wasn't a " fatwa" issued by an islam cleric demanding robinsons killing  just when robinson was changing prison ?? all too obvious 

 

wbr

roobaa01

We have a Home Secretary, newly appointed, who is a non-practicing Muslim married to a practicing Christian. Are you suggesting that his family roots may have encouraged him to intervene in Dept of Justice matters and deliberately place Yaxley-Lennoon in danger?

4 minutes ago, roobaa01 said:

isnt the british minister of interior muslim ??? who had robinson transferred to  a prision with mainly muslim inmates, wasn't a " fatwa" issued by an islam cleric demanding robinsons killing  just when robinson was changing prison ?? all too obvious 

 

wbr

roobaa01

 

What a load of codswallop.

 

The UK doesn’t have a minister of interior and, assuming you are referring to the Home Secretary, Savid Javid, he does not have responsibility for prisons as that comes under the Minstry of Justice.  He was transferred from Hull  to Olney as it is a lower class of prison , Cat C instead of Cat B,  designed for resettlement and those due for imminent release so has less violent prisoners in it - nothing to do with mainly Muslim inmates which no U.K. prisons have. No idea what the fatwa is you are on about - can’t have been very effective since he still appears to be alive.

Free Tommy! 

 

2 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

Why does it not surprise me that you would post that?!

 

As RuamRudy points out Tommy Robinson is ' convicted mortgage fraudster, wife beater and racist who has been rightly imprisoned for breaking the law by knowingly endangering the integrity of an ongoing trial'.

 

 

I take it we can now acknowledge that, since the intervention is from US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, that Yaxley-Lennon’s crimes were motivated by religion and refer to him as a religious hate-preacher instead of your common or garden racist.


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Uk no doubt reminded the sceptics that they have effectively ensnared assange while taxpayers pickup the tab.

15 minutes ago, Orac said:

I take it we can now acknowledge that, since the intervention is from US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, that Yaxley-Lennon’s crimes were motivated by religion and refer to him as a religious hate-preacher instead of your common or garden racist.


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Religious hate-preacher and common or garden racist are not mutually exclusive.
 

22 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

Who next?  Shrimpton?  Trump loves the right-wing conspiracy nutcases.  He should focus his efforts on Roger Stone who is one shoe drop away from taking his Nixon tattoo into the pokey.

Luckily there is no trace of hypocrisy here with the US stance. 

FREE TOMMY!!!

3 minutes ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

FREE TOMMY!!!

They'll let him out after he's served his time.

I don't know if this is true- but it would not surprise me at all. Simply read the interview Trump gave to the Sun.  He pulled the rug out from Under the British PM by indicating she is messing up Brexit and almost insulated Boris Johnson would be a better PM.

 

As an American- I am quite irritated that Trump as a guest in the United Kingdom would insert himself into British politics.  It may be true that some British citizens are fed up with May but that is not Trump's business.  To me, it's downright rude.

 

 

23 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

I don't know if this is true- but it would not surprise me at all. Simply read the interview Trump gave to the Sun.  He pulled the rug out from Under the British PM by indicating she is messing up Brexit and almost insulated Boris Johnson would be a better PM.

 

As an American- I am quite irritated that Trump as a guest in the United Kingdom would insert himself into British politics.  It may be true that some British citizens are fed up with May but that is not Trump's business.  To me, it's downright rude.

 

 

Even though The Sun has the audio of the interview he has claimed it's 'fake news'. During his joint press conference with May after their meeting has done a complete U Turn - what a @##&*!

3 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

 

41 minutes ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

FREE TOMMY!!!

 

Tommy who?

 

If you mean Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, of which Tommy Robinson is just one of his many aliases, then why? He is in prison for committing the crime of contempt of court.The trial had reporting restrictions placed upon it by the judge; Yaxley-Lennon attempted to break those restrictions and so was guilty of contempt of court.  He knew when he committed it that he would be imprisoned this time because he was already serving a suspended sentence for the exact same crime.

 

The consequences of Yaxley-Lennon's actions could have been disastrous had he not been stopped.  The defendants in the case, who have since been found guilty, named and sentenced, could have claimed his actions meant they could not receive a fair trial, which could either have resulted in this trial being declared a mistrial or have resulted in a successful appeal against their guilty verdicts. So the end result of Yaxley-Lennon's actions could very easily have been the freedom of a bunch of child rapists!

 

Is that what you want?

 

Yaxley-Lennon, of course, doesn't care about that. He's got what he wanted from this; lots of publicity for his cause, lots of donations and support from people who are ignorant of the complete picture and all at the price of a few months in a soft open prison.

4 hours ago, roobaa01 said:

<snip>

wasn't a " fatwa" issued by an islam cleric demanding robinsons killing  just when robinson was changing prison ??

If such a fatwa was issued, there is no reporting of it anywhere that I can find.

 

I suspect that it is yet another of Yaxley-Lennon's lies or that of one of his supporters.

 

He has many times claimed that he has reported death threats to the police and been ignored; but also claims to have received several Osman warnings from the police!

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

With every subscription to Fascist Idiot Weekly magazine.  Only while stocks last.

I don't particularly like Tommy Robinson, but it must be said that he raised the issue of mainly Pakistani men running grooming schools around the UK which the powers that be would rather have ignored. Sarah Champion was demoted by Jeremy Corbyn for giving an interview to the Sun newspaper on the Rotherham scandle which had been hushed up for the best part  of 20 years, by authoities who didn't wish to be seen as islamaphobic, Similarily most muslims are not terorists  but currently most terrorists are muslim. There is too much appeasement of muslims in the UK, largely due to to our lucrative arms deals with Saudi Arabia and letting wahabi hate preachers into the country  to preach their anti western hate in Saudi sponsored mosques.

As for Trump, he enjoys stirring up s**t, doesn't he ?

41 minutes ago, lincolnshire poacher said:

I don't particularly like Tommy Robinson, but it must be said that he raised the issue of mainly Pakistani men running grooming schools around the UK which the powers that be would rather have ignored. Sarah Champion was demoted by Jeremy Corbyn for giving an interview to the Sun newspaper on the Rotherham scandle which had been hushed up for the best part  of 20 years, by authoities who didn't wish to be seen as islamaphobic, Similarily most muslims are not terorists  but currently most terrorists are muslim. There is too much appeasement of muslims in the UK, largely due to to our lucrative arms deals with Saudi Arabia and letting wahabi hate preachers into the country  to preach their anti western hate in Saudi sponsored mosques.

As for Trump, he enjoys stirring up s**t, doesn't he ?

Has Robinson been proven to actually contribute to police investigation/s into grooming / terrorism which led to arrests and convictions?

 

Some members will post their usual nonsense. However, read the following...

 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tommy-robinson-arrest/

23 minutes ago, lincolnshire poacher said:

I don't particularly like Tommy Robinson, but it must be said that he raised the issue of mainly Pakistani men running grooming schools around the UK which the powers that be would rather have ignored. Sarah Champion was demoted by Jeremy Corbyn for giving an interview to the Sun newspaper on the Rotherham scandle which had been hushed up for the best part  of 20 years, by authoities who didn't wish to be seen as islamaphobic, Similarily most muslims are not terorists  but currently most terrorists are muslim. There is too much appeasement of muslims in the UK, largely due to to our lucrative arms deals with Saudi Arabia and letting wahabi hate preachers into the country  to preach their anti western hate in Saudi sponsored mosques.

As for Trump, he enjoys stirring up s**t, doesn't he ?

Tommy Robinson did not raise this issue. 

 

He camped on it as a vehicle to spread hate and disunity. 

 

He also put an ongoing trial of people charged with child rape at risk of winding up as a mistrial or worse still 'unsafe verdict'.

 

He is in prison for very good reason - contempt of court. 

 

Indeed, Yaxley-Lennon has never 'exposed' any child grooming gang, any child rape gang or any paedophile activity of any description.

 

He has, though, tried desperately to distance himself from two friends of his who are convicted paedophiles!

 

When one of his co EDL founders Richard Price was convicted in 2010 of downloading indecent images of children Yaxley-Lennon hurriedly issued a statement to claim that Price had never been a leader of the EDL.

 

But, following Price's arrest for public disorder offences and the online campaign calling Price a political prisoner in 2009, Yaxley-Lennon had published a statement on Facebook naming the EDL management and amongst those names was Price’s, being credited for co-founding the group. 

 

Yaxley-Lennon did not comment on, let alone condemn, former associate and senior EDL member Leigh McMillan when he was convicted in February 2018 of sexually abusing a 10 year old girl over 100 times.

 

So much for Yaxley-Lennon's stated desire to expose paedophiles! He is not interested in protecting children, only in using the victims of child abuse to further his own political agenda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

Yes! In June next year.

1 hour ago, lincolnshire poacher said:

I don't particularly like Tommy Robinson, but it must be said that he raised the issue of mainly Pakistani men running grooming schools around the UK which the powers that be would rather have ignored. Sarah Champion was demoted by Jeremy Corbyn for giving an interview to the Sun newspaper on the Rotherham scandle which had been hushed up for the best part  of 20 years, by authoities who didn't wish to be seen as islamaphobic, Similarily most muslims are not terorists  but currently most terrorists are muslim. There is too much appeasement of muslims in the UK, largely due to to our lucrative arms deals with Saudi Arabia and letting wahabi hate preachers into the country  to preach their anti western hate in Saudi sponsored mosques.

As for Trump, he enjoys stirring up s**t, doesn't he ?

If he raised the issue, then how come they were in court in the first place?

He's a rubbish author trying to market his brand to idiots.

8 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

With every five pints...

We’ve had sublime

we’ve had ridiculous

what label does this garner?

9 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Free Tommy! 

 

Regardless if that person was a pedophile or a child molester in other means, supporting him should tell quite a lot of the person. 

 

I guess we should star taking names. BuaBS, Boon Mee etc. 

12 hours ago, champers said:

If they want him in the US they are welcome to him.

Why would the US be poking their nose into the affairs of UK citizen carrying out his criminal acts in the UK?

 Trump and his right wing world order I guess.  A cult in the making