Who is Tommy Robinson? The controversial far-right figure reinstated on X after getting banned in 2018

Tommy Robinson, a controversial British far-right figure and the former leader of an anti-immigration group called the English Defence League (EDL) made his way back to X (formerly Twitter) this Monday after his profile was reactivated by the social media company.

As per reports, Robinson’s profile was deactivated by X in 2018 (then known as Twitter) as he breached the platform’s “Hateful Conduct” policy.

Robinson made a “comeback” post on X where he showcased a clip of the acclaimed song by actor and singer David Hasselhoff “Looking For Freedom,” and superimposed his face on Hasselhoff’s thus sending a cryptic message to his followers.Who is Tommy Robinson? Robinson was born on November 27, 1982 in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire in the UK. He was an apprentice aircraft engineer at Luton Airport. In 2005, as per reports, he was involved in a drunken fight with an off-duty police officer which resulted in him going to jail for one year. After his release from prison, Robinson started to take interest in politics while starting to talk about the threat of Islamism in his hometown of Luton. He also claimed that the police force was not adequately dealing with this supposed threat. Reportedly, in 2009 supporters of the Islamist extremist group al-Muhajiroun – who had a base in Luton – caused ruckus when members of the Royal Anglian Regiment Soldiers were parading back to their hometown. In order to counter this, Robinson organised a demonstration, the members of which also clashed with the al-Muhajiroun supporters. This event then led to the initiation of the EDL.Robinson has had a lengthy history of arrests. In 2011, he was arrested and asked to serve a year of community rehabilitation for leading a fight which involved around 100 football fans. He was then arrested in 2013 for using another person’s passport to enter the US and then using his own to return to the UK and he was imprisoned for 10 months. He then went to jail again in 2014 for mortgage fraud. After getting out of prison he took steps towards establishing the UK wing of the German far-right political party PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident). Most recently in July 2021, Robinson was sentenced to make a payment of a significant sum of £100,000 as libel damages to a Syrian schoolboy whom he wrongfully accused of attacking English girls at his school.

After getting reinstated on X, Robinson reportedly paid gratitude to company’s owner Elon Musk and also stated about the challenges he faced as he tried to showcase the truth to his audience. Regardless of his controversial status, Robinson has a significant followership of around 345,000 people on X.

FAQsQ1. Who is Elon Musk?Ans1. Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur and businessman who currently owns X (formerly Twitter) and has founded other companies like SpaceX and Tesla.

Q2. Who is David Hasselhoff?Ans2. David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer and television personality. He holds a Guinness World Record of being the most watched man on television.

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