On 29 July, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon appeared in court for repeating defamatory allegations against Jamal Hijazi. The Syrian refugee was attacked on a sports field in West Yorkshire, but was actually in a hotel in Cyprus.

Following the murder of three girls that day in Southport, Yaxley-Lennon, who works under the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, spread misinformation and Islamophobic rhetoric on social media.

When mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers were targeted, Yaxley-Lennon tried to distance himself from the violence.

“Tommy Robinson has become an avatar of the extreme right” Ben Quinnsenior reporter for the Guardian, tells Helen PiddYaxley-Lennon has been a far-right public figure for 20 years. During that time, the movement has become less organised and more fragmented.

“These days, especially in the world of social media, it’s important for certain people to reach young men in particular,” Quinn tells Pidd. “And Tommy Robinson is particularly good at that.”

Support The Guardian

The Guardian is editorially independent and we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we are increasingly dependent on readers to fund our work.

Support The Guardian