Tommy Robinson's official invite to Israel delays UK terror verdict

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has had his verdict on a terrorism charge delayed because he is flying to Israel as a guest of the Netanyahu government. 

Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been accused of refusing to give police officers the passcode to unlock his phone when he was stopped at the Channel Tunnel in July last year, a criminal offence under Britain's counter-terrorism legislation.

Robinson's legal fees have been paid for by billionaire Elon Musk, and his lawyers argued the officers took a "discriminatory stance" because of Robinson's political views.

At a hearing in the Westminster Magistrates Court on 13 October, the judge said he would accommodate Robinson's "travel arrangements" and delay his verdict until 4 November.

Robinson is travelling to Israel this month after Israel's diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, announced that he would host Robinson on a paid visit.

He described Robinson as a "courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam".

After the hearing, Robinson said: "I’m leaving soon for a trip to Israel - a proud patriot coming tomorrow to stand with the Jewish state and deepen my understanding of the fight against jihad."

Robinson could be jailed for up to three months or receive a £2,500 ($3,300) fine if he is found guilty. 

Invite to a convicted criminal

Robinson has, over the past two decades, built a violent street movement focused on stoking fears of an Islamic takeover of the UK.

He has received prison sentences and community orders since 2003 for, amongst other things, football brawling, travelling on another man's passport to the US, mortgage fraud, possession of drugs, threatening behaviour, and breach of a court order.

In 2021 he lost a libel lawsuit over his slurs against a Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked at school.

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Robinson said earlier this month that he had accepted an invitation from the Israeli government to cover the cost of his flight and accommodation.

He announced that he will meet government leaders and visit the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) and the Jewish Leadership Council have condemned the invite.

They released a statement saying the invitation to Robinson "undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion".

Both bodies are generally supportive of the Israeli government, and in June the BoD suspended members of its board who criticised Israel's genocide in Gaza.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week also condemned the invite. His spokesperson said that Robinson "does not speak for the decent, tolerant, patriotic majority of this country".

Chikli hit back by calling Starmer a "Palestinian", which he used as a racial pejorative.

While Robinson's supporters are often seen holding Israeli flags on UK street protests, many on the US right have turned against Israel during the two-year genocide, disgusted by its targeting of civilians, as well as objecting to its influence on US politics.

Right-wing figures critical of Israel in the US,include commentators Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, as well as Republican members of Congress, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie.

The European right remains largely supportive of Israel, seeing it as an ally against what they term "Islamism".