British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson’s widely-reported visit to the U.S. Department of State was not at the administration’s behest, officials say.
Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the State Department, shared a photo on social media of Robinson at the department’s office in Washington — praising the political operative’s “fight for freedom of speech.” But the State Department says his visit was not at their behest.
“Tommy Robinson visited the State Department in an unofficial capacity for a tour,” a department spokesperson clarified to the Washington Examiner.
Rittenhouse — who described Robinson as a “friend” and took a selfie with his British guest — said in his post that “no one has been on the front lines more than Tommy” when it comes to freedom of speech issues.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is known for his fierce opposition to almost all immigration and outspoken contempt for Islam in British society. He helped organize the “Unite the Kingdom” rally in September, a protest against mass immigration which drew over 100,000 demonstrators.
He has a long history of criminal convictions, including two cases of assault, the use of a false passport, mortgage fraud, and stalking.
In 2021, he was ordered to pay £100,000 and cover legal fees for a young Syrian student whom he had falsely accused of attacking English schoolgirls. Robinson later said he had been “completely mugged off” by “fake news” provided by “some leftie” and deleted his videos making the allegations — but the court ultimately found him guilty of libel.
Left-wing politicians in the United Kingdom have expressed outrage about Robinson’s visit to the State Department.
“Yaxley-Lennon is being touted around Washington as a ‘free speech warrior.’ We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred,” British Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry said to Politico. “There should be no place in any democracy for the latter.”
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman called it “no surprise that Donald Trump’s White House are among [Robinson’s] fans,” accusing the president of sharing an agenda.
“This is a man who has built his profile on division, racism and Islamophobia, and whose politics are rooted in the most vile hatred and fascism,” Chapman said. “When communities across the UK are facing rising levels of hate crime and far-right extremism, the idea that figures like Robinson are being treated as legitimate political actors by what are supposed to be our international allies, should concern us all.”
Robinson posted a video of himself to social media fielding calls from British media outlets, rebuking them for not having previously cared about his legal woes.
When an editor-at-large of the Sun declared that his visit was “not normal,” Robinson replied: “It’s the new normal when America has an administration that believes in free speech, doesn’t mean they agree with everything I’ve ever said, they believe in my right to say it.”
Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson MP Calum Miller characterized the debacle as a threat to British political sovereignty, warning that “the Government needs to include the US in their inquiry into foreign interference in UK politics.”
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Distaste for Robinson is not exclusive to left-wing political parties. Reform UK, the most right-leaning party with seats in the British Parliament, has done its best to steer clear of Robinson despite its similar opposition to mass immigration.
As Reform rose in popularity among the British voting public, many right-wing political operatives — including Tesla CEO Elon Musk — seemed to push for Robinson‘s inclusion in the fold.
Leader Nigel Farage, who has not been shy about his contempt for Robinson, has always maintained that he is not welcome.
Farage was asked about Robinson’s previous endorsements of Reform UK candidates during a Reform conference on Tuesday, and the party leader replied: “I just don’t want anything to do with him.”
“Tommy Robinson can do what he wants to do, away from us, as long as he stays away from the law, which he doesn’t always do,” Farage told the reporter. “It’s none of our business, nothing to do with us.”