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Tommy Robinson Has Fled the UK After an 'Arson Attack'

In a video posted online, former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson said he is looking to "permanently relocate" his family.
Jamie Clifton
London, GB
tommy robinson court
Tommy Robinson in 2018. Photo: Guy Corbishley / Alamy Stock Photo

Far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson has posted a video online claiming that arsonists attacked property owned by his wife, prompting him to flee the UK.

In the video, Robinson – real name, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – says , “I had an incident, quite a few weeks ago, with an arson. It was targeted against my wife’s property. At that point we left the country straight away.”

The Brexit supporter, who has vocally opposed immigration into the UK, goes on to say that he is looking at permanently relocating his family, “which is pretty hard to do, especially with COVID”.

It is unclear where exactly the former English Defence League leader has fled to, but his mention of a “14-day quarantine” stopping his planned return for a demonstration this weekend suggests he may be in Spain, after the UK government announced on Saturday that it was reintroducing a two-week quarantine for anyone travelling from the country to the UK.

In the clip, Robinson – who says he has video of the arson incident – says “it wasn’t Muslims who done this, it was after all the BLM stuff”.

In June, Robinson supported calls from the Democratic Football Lads Alliance – a far-right group – to “defend” statues from Black Lives Matter protesters, after a bust of Winston Churchill in London was graffitied during an earlier demonstration. This “demonstration” amounted to large crowds of white men drinking and openly taking drugs, attacking journalists and clashing with police.

Today, Bedfordshire Police said they have no record of arson against Robinson’s home, but confirmed that they do have a record of a reported car arson, according to Independent journalist Lizzie Dearden.