UK far-right activist charged after attending anti-Semitism march

Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon known as Tommy Robinson is arrested by police during an anti-Semitism demonstration in London, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. (AP)

• Robinson charged with failing to comply with a dispersal order excluding him from attending a march against anti-Semitism in London

LONDON: British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson was charged on Monday with failing to comply with a dispersal order excluding him from attending a march against anti-Semitism in London at the weekend, police said.
Robinson, 40, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested near the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the protest began on Sunday, after organizers said he was not welcome at the event.
“A man has now been charged in connection with this incident,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“Stephen Lennon, of Bedfordshire, has been charged with failing to comply with a section 35 direction excluding a person from an area.”
The section 35 direction is a dispersal order aimed to prevent anti-social behavior.
The former leader of right-wing English Defense League is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London on January 22.
Robinson, who was arrested after being pepper-sprayed by the police, claimed he had been attending the march as a journalist.
He denied causing alarm or distress to others.
“The arrested man resisted as officers attempted to put him in handcuffs,” a Met Police spokesman said.
“He was warned repeatedly before PAVA spray (an incapacitant spray used by the British police) was used.”
The force said organizers had “been clear about their concerns that the man’s attendance, and that of those who were likely to accompany him, would cause fear for other participants.”
“As a result he was spoken to and warned on more than one occasion that his continued presence in the area was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others,” the police said.
“He was directed to leave the area but refused to do so.”
Robinson was also seen among crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police in London on November 11, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators called for a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas.